AFRICA/DR CONGO - Lack of funds put the elections at risk

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The organization of the upcoming Congolese elections is compromised not only by the controversy linked to the appointment of the new President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC, see Fides 22/10/2015), also by the lack of funds needed to organize them.
According to a note sent to Agenzia Fides by the Peace Network for Congo, in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, INEC said that the electoral process does not move forward due to the lack of financial means. Over the last three years, in fact, the Electoral Commission received only 17% of the funds allocated by Parliament from the Government.
For 2013, the National Assembly had allocated more than two hundred million dollars, but the Government did not carry out any payment. Due to this INEC was not able to buy the logistic material planned.
For 2014, Parliament had allocated 195 304 000 000 Congolese francs ($ 212,286,957). The government unblocked only 24%.
For 2015, Parliament had allocated more than $ 186 billion 637 million Congolese francs. But, according to the report of the Electoral Commission, the Government funded only 22%.
Therefore the Network for Peace in Congo questions whether there is a real lack of resources or "a strategy of government authorities, to delay the organization of elections and stay in power". The note says that the lack of resources can be "a likely scenario, given that the total national budget of 2015 is around $ 9 billion (of which at least 4 derive from the contribution of the international community) and that the cost of the organization of a full election cycle (local, provincial and national, legislative, senatorial and presidential elections) exceeds a billion dollars. However, in a Country, one of the richest in natural resources (mining, forestry, water, ...), this assumption reveals a great contradiction and evident scandal: the bad management on behalf of government authorities". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 30/10/2015)

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