DR Congo Police Warn Trouble Makers As Governorship Elections Hold Friday

The Congolese national police have warned trouble makers to behave themselves as the governorship elections in 14 of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo hold on Friday, May 6.

Campaign for the elections kicked off on Monday, May 2, while the police warned  the population against disturbance of the peace during the campaigns and after the elections proper.

The warning follows a call by an official of the Union pour la Democratie et Progres Social (UDPS) for militants of his party to resort to violence if their candidates do not win the elections.

The 14 provinces where elections for governors will hold include Bas-Uele, Lomami, Kasai-Central, Kasai-Oriental, Kongo-Central, Mai-Ndombe, Maniema, Mongala, Tanganyika, and Tshopo.

In Kasai-Oriental, Colonel Paul Lukundula,  the interim provincial commissioner of police, has called on the population to peacefully go about their daily chores while waiting for the day of the elections, adding that on the day of the announcement of the results, “only provincial parliamentarians, accredited journalists and some authorised persons would be allowed access into the provincial assembly”.

Colonel Lukundula assured that necessary dispositions have been put in place to ensure the security of all the population as well as the provincial parliamentarians.

“We anticipate allowing the justice system to do its work at its speed. We are doing our own work which is to ensure security for everybody,” police chief said.

“Nobody should go to the street to campaign because it is not the population that would vote. Go to the National Assembly because it is the parliamentarians who will vote.”