KINSHASA — The Carter Center announced today that former Interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza will lead the Center’s mission to observe the Dec. 20 elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“I am honored to observe this important election,” said Samba-Panza. “We hope that all Congolese will be able to exercise their democratic rights in a fair and peaceful manner.”
On Dec. 5, the Center published an interim report (PDF) detailing early findings and recommendations. A preliminary statement will be published after election day, and the Center will issue a final report after the conclusion of the electoral process.
The mission is assessing electoral preparations and the electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, participation of women and ethnic minorities, social media, dispute resolution, and other aspects of the election process. Although the Center will observe at some polling centers around the country on election day, it will not deploy a full short-term observation delegation and will not make comprehensive conclusions about election day processes.
The Carter Center launched an international election observation mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2023 after an invitation by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Carter Center conducts its work in accordance with the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and will make assessments based on the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national legal framework, as well as regional and international obligations and standards for democratic elections.
The Carter Center has been a pioneer of election observation, monitoring more than 115 elections in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the United States since 1989. Learn more about the Center’s election observation missions (PDF).
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Contacts: In Kinshasa, 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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