ATLANTA (Sept. 25, 2023) — The Carter Center announced today that it has launched an international election observation mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for Dec. 20.
The Center was invited to observe the elections by the DRC’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A five-person core team of experts from France, Mali, Spain, and Switzerland is now in Kinshasa. Additional electoral experts and 20 long-term observers from around the world will join them in October, followed by a high-level leadership delegation around election day.
“We look forward to providing an independent and impartial assessment of the electoral process,” said Carter Center International Election Observation Mission Director Nicolas Teindas. “We hope that our observation and reporting will provide important information to DRC citizens, offer recommendations to stakeholders, and contribute to the transparency of the electoral process.”
Barbara J. Smith, vice president of the Carter Center’s peace programs, thanked the government for the invitation.
“The Carter Center has long worked together with national authorities and civil society to advance democracy and human rights in the DRC,” she said, “and we are honored to launch this international election observation mission in support of the electoral process.”
The Carter Center has observed 115 elections in 40 countries, including the United States. It conducts its election observation work in accordance with the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and makes assessments based on national legal frameworks as well as regional and international obligations for democratic elections.
The Center has worked in DRC since 2006, when it observed the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Since then, it has established a permanent office in DRC, currently headed by Senior Country Representative Romain Ravet, and supported citizen election observation networks, human rights defenders, and civil society-led efforts to increase the transparency of extractive industries in the country. The Carter Center observed the 2011 national elections in DRC and sent an expert team for the 2018 elections. It also has provided technical assistance to electoral reform efforts from recommendations of its observation missions and citizen observation organizations.
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Contact: In Atlanta, Maria Cartaya, maria.cartaya@cartercenter.org
The Carter Center
Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
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