Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Since gaining independence on 30 June 1960, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been marked by repeated political instability, driven mainly by disputes over the legitimacy of state institutions and their leaders. These disputes intensified during the First and Second Congo Wars, which ravaged the country between 1996 and 2003. In response to this persistent legitimacy crisis and to rebuild the nation, representatives of political parties and civil society convened within the framework of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue. This process led to the signing of the Global and Inclusive Agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, on 17 December 2002, which laid the foundation for a new political system based on a democratic constitution. The new constitution enabled Congolese citizens to elect their leaders through free, pluralistic, transparent, credible, and democratic elections. The task of organizing these elections was assigned to the Independent Electoral Commission (Commission Électorale Indépendante, CEI). The CEI organized a constitutional referendum on 18–19 December 2005 and, one year later, conducted the first genuinely democratic elections in the country's history. Established on 29 May 2003, the CEI was later restructured and renamed as the Independent National Electoral Commission (Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante, CENI) on 3 March 2011. == Legal framework and organization ==

The establishment of the CEI and the CENI aligns with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance, which requires African Union member states to create independent and impartial electoral management bodies. The CENI is a permanent public institution with legal personality and enjoys administrative and financial independence. Its organization and functioning are regulated by Law No. 13/12 of 19 April 2013, which revises and complements Law No. 10/013 of 28 July 2010, as well as by its internal rules of procedure. CENI is composed of two main organs: • The Plenary Assembly serves as the body responsible for policy formulation, strategic direction, decision-making, monitoring, and evaluation. Under Daniel Ngoyi Mulunda's presidency, the CENI organized the highly contested presidential and legislative elections of November–December 2011, which significantly weakened public confidence in key political institutions, including the presidency and the National Assembly. Provincial Executive Secretariats At the provincial level, each secretariat is led by a Provincial Executive Secretary (Secrétaire exécutif provincial; SEP), assisted by a deputy who is responsible for administrative and financial affairs, and holds the ranks of director and deputy director, respectively. The first deputy rapporteur supports the rapporteur and manages training, awareness, and civic education programs. Meanwhile, the second deputy rapporteur assists the rapporteur, substitutes for the first deputy when required, and supervises voter and candidate registration. with Sylvie Birembano Balume acting as deputy quaestor. Members of the bureau Bureau members, without prejudice to their legal powers, supervise sectoral areas, including legal affairs and dispute management; polling, results collection, and communication; training, awareness, and civic education; voter and candidate registration; administration, finance, and budgeting; and operational logistics, electoral security, and asset management. Members may liaise directly with directors in their sectors while keeping the National Executive Secretariat informed, which provides administrative support; directors report to the secretariat with copies to the president and the supervising bureau member. The bureau is composed of 13 members appointed by the political forces of the National Assembly: six delegates, including two women, from the Majority, and four delegates, including one woman, from the Opposition. Civil society is represented within the CENI by three delegates drawn respectively from religious denominations, women's organizations defending women's rights, and civic and electoral education organizations. This composition is predominantly partisan and mirrors the political balance within the National Assembly. Contrary to Article 22 of the Organic Law governing the CENI, members may receive directives from outside authorities, and efforts to assert autonomy are frequently discouraged through pressure that can result in resignation. Civil society representatives, for their part, may shift their allegiance toward those offering the most benefits. In October 2021, President Félix Tshisekedi appointed twelve of the fifteen CENI members approved by the National Assembly, following the report of the committee that reviewed candidate applications. The three seats reserved for opposition representatives remained unfilled. The opposition denounced the way the process was conducted, calling it disorderly and designed to create a compliant CENI. The Ensemble pour la République, through its parliamentary groups Mouvement Social-G7 (MS-G7), Alliance des mouvements Kongo (AMK), and allies, also condemned the appointments, arguing that it had not officially selected its representatives, despite one of its elected members being designated as deputy rapporteur. == Function ==

|164x164pxCENI relies on specialized commissions responsible for carrying out its duties, particularly the organization and conduct of elections within constitutional deadlines and regulations. CENI applies the administrative principle of division of labor, which divides tasks into smaller, manageable parts. This approach guided CENI in structuring the country's electoral process. Accordingly, 11 commissions were established to help organize elections that are free, transparent, democratic, and peaceful. Some focus on civic education, others on conducting elections, and others on managing electoral materials, including all necessary documents for the electoral process, with a complete list to be provided during counting or result publication. These commissions operate under the supervision of members of the CENI's national bureau: ==References==