Carter Center Asks DRC’s Political Leaders to Call on Supporters to Remain Peaceful, Pursue Challenges to Results through Courts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, [email protected]

ATLANTA — Because of discrepancies between the official preliminary election results in the DRC and the results reported by some domestic observers and parties, The Carter Center expresses concern about the potential for insecurity and conflict and asks all political leaders to call on their supporters to refrain from violence and to pursue any challenges to the election results through legal channels.

The Center urges the Congolese government to ensure that security forces exercise restraint and protect the rights of citizens to express their opinions and to assemble peacefully. All Congolese should maintain calm and ensure that their political expression remains peaceful.

To foster public confidence and transparency, the Center calls on the election commission to quickly provide detailed polling-station results on its website for both the presidential and provincial legislative races. This information should be released as soon as possible, so that parties, candidates, and observers can review and cross-check the data in time for candidates to prepare any legal challenges within legal and constitutional deadlines. The Center encourages accredited observers to continue to monitor all remaining stages of the electoral process.

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"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.