NAN-F-59
Election
Johannesburg, Feb. 16, 2017 (dpa/NAN) The UN, the African Union and the European Union on Thursday expressed concern over Congo’s lack of progress in organising the elections due this year, urging the “full and timely implementation” of the plan.
The organisations issued a statement signed by the International Organisation of la Francophonie, one day after the Congolese government said it cannot afford 1.8 billion dollars that it said were needed to organise the elections.
The opposition slammed the announcement as a pretext aimed at keeping President Joseph Kabila in power beyond the two terms allowed by the constitution.
The international organisations said they were “increasingly concerned by the continuing impasse in the dialogue among the political stakeholders”.
It warned that, “this situation has the potential to undermine the political goodwill that led to the signing of the Dec. 31 agreement”.
The government and opposition leaders agreed on that date that elections will be held by the end of this year.
The postponement of the poll, initially scheduled for November 2016, had previously sparked protests in which dozens were killed. (dpa/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Abdullahi Yusuf