Congo Election

Joseph Kabila is back in power - at least that's the way it looks. And he has himself to thank most for that fact.

In January 2011, the incumbent Congolese president pushed through constitutional reforms that meant a simple plurality of votes in a single round of balloting would be enough for him to retain power.

And in the run-up to the poll in November there were widespread irregularities and manipulation of the voter registration process. The head of the independent electoral commission is a close associate of Kabila. That alone should prompt suspicions.

The international community observed the Congolese election - without getting involved or pointing out to President Kabila and his closest allies that democracy means more than just staging a vote.

Perhaps events like the Arab Spring or the crisis in Ivory Coast, also the result of a flawed African election, diverted public attention. But simply watching without intervening was still a grave and puzzling mistake. Encouraging democracy and stability used to be major priorities for the EU and the entire international community.

Nowhere did the UN deploy more peacekeepers and invest more money than in the Democratic Republic of Congo during its first democratic elections in 2006.

By contrast, in 2011, the international community kept its distance - even though second elections are considered crucial to establishing political stability in fledgling democracies.

The European Union allocated 45 million euros ($60 million) to Congo to help organize its election. That's little more than a drop in the bucket. Only 150 election observers were sent - to a country almost as large as Western Europe, with more than 60,000 polling stations.

One might object that, in contrast to 2006, there was a democratically elected government in Kinshasa. Civil society was much stronger, bolstered by international help in organizing the armed forces, the police and the judicial system. The danger of widespread violence seemed remote. What more could the international community do?

Quite a lot more is the answer. Congo possesses a wealth of natural resources, and yet the majority of its population exist in abject misery. Congo comes in dead last among 187 nations on the UN poverty index.

Moreover, despite the official end to the civil war in Congo, people in the east of the country live in fear, terrorized both by irregular militias and even by the official Congolese army. In addition, there are major problems in infrastructure, education and employment.

Yet the unsatisfactory state of human rights in Congo doesn't seem to be of sufficient concern to secure the country attention and help from the international community. That's a shame. A peaceful, stable and just Congo would send a powerful message to neighboring countries and, indeed, the entire African continent.

Author: Dirke Köpp / jc
Editor: Rob Mudge