Congo: Limited independent reporting on elections
It was not surprising when Joseph Kabila, incumbent president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was announced winner of the November elections. He was re-elected with a disputed 49 percent of the vote. Yves Polepole, a freelance journalist based in Bukavu, has worked closely with DW-AKADEMIE for many years. He covered the latest elections for the international media and not the Congolese press. “This,” he said, “enabled me to work independently.” There was considerable local media coverage in the run-up to the elections, partly because many station owners and publishers were themselves candidates. Objective reporting was therefore limited.
These were the country’s second presidential and parliamentary elections since 2006. Kabila’s victory is in part due to a government move made at the beginning of the year. In January both the national assembly and senate agreed to a constitutional amendment abolishing the presidential runoff. This has now enabled Kabila to win with a simple majority. In 2006 Kabila was only able to claim victory after a runoff with the former opposition leader, Jean-Pierre Bemba.
His main rival this time was Etienne Tshisekedi, once a prime minister during the Mobuto Seso Seko dictatorship. Tshisekedi continues to have wide support and this could lead to further problems. In the weeks leading up to the elections he called for violence, claiming he would turn DR Congo into a “second Libya”. He was given considerable airtime by a television station close to him and the Kabila government reacted by withdrawing the station’s license for “inciting violence”.
This was bitter for many national and international reporters. Congolese journalists work within a tight framework where oppression and censorship are common. This framework becomes even tighter during election time.
“In DR Congo, the biggest problem for the media continues to be financing,” said Polepole. Radio reports are almost always paid for. “If a politician wants to have his campaign covered he has to pay the journalists.” That’s why politicians often buy an entire station or publishing house. “Here in Bukavu,” he added, “70 percent of the radio stations are owned by politicians.”
Journalists are not expecting their situation to improve with Kabila’s re-election. “What we need is a salary that would make us independent and guarantee our freedom of expression,” said Polepole.
DW-AKADEMIE has been active in DR Congo since 2006 when it conducted its first workshop – on election reporting – in the run-up to the 2006 elections. Since then it regularly holds workshops and trainings in Kinshasa and Bukavu.