2023-06-05 14:17:23
BUKAVU – After having launched an awareness campaign for social actors for active participation in the 2023 elections in community radios in South Kivu, this Friday, June 2, 2023 in Walungu territory, the platform Agir pour des Elections Transparentes et Apaisés (AETA ) South Kivu organized this citizen forum this Saturday, June 3, 2023 with financial support from the Belgian NGO CNCD-11.11.11 and OSF-AFRICA in Irhambi Katana (ETD of Kabare).
35 social actors took part in this forum, including 5 pygmies, the president of the Albinos of Kabare, 3 delegates from people living with disabilities and 11 women. The political parties AFDC-A, UNC, PPRD and Ensemble pour la République took part in these meetings.
The objective of this forum is to raise the awareness of voters and encourage them to vote useful in the next presidential, legislative, provincial and local elections. The participants were able to give the profiles of a good candidate. In addition, they analyzed the electoral law and discussed the draft law on the distribution of seats under consideration by the PAJ commission of the National Assembly.
FENAPHACO, partner and member of AETA in South Kivu, was represented by its urban secretary from Bukavu, Mr. Jacques Namegabe. Mr. Bigomokero Makungu, Chief of Irhambi Katana Group, represented the Chief of Kabare (ETD). Irhambi Katana, north of Kabare, is 55 km from the city of Bukavu.
Source: civil society press release, 04.06.23
Image – source: civil society
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Citizen Forum for Raising Social Actors’ Awareness for Active Participation in the 2023 Elections in the DRC in the Decentralized Territorial Entity of Kabare in Irhambi/Katana
The Indigenous Peoples (Pygmies), Albinos and People living with disabilities in the Electoral District of Kabare, Province of South Kivu, are stepping up to the plate. According to the delegates of these social actors, the candidates for the elections will be subject to specifications drawn up by the community.
The Citizen Forum for Awareness of social actors for active participation in the 2023 Elections in the DRC is an initiative that emerges from the work organized in Irhambi / Katana on June 3, 2023 by the Platform Acting for Transparent and Peaceful Elections (AETA) in South Kivu. It brought together 35 participants.
AETA organized this forum to accompany the electoral process. This, in order to achieve credible, peaceful and transparent elections in the DRC.
Indeed, the initiative of the specifications has a double objective, namely, to awaken the local communities to vote useful. Second, make candidates accountable to communities.
To do this, the synergy of the four civil society organizations will sensitize the communities on the development of the specifications to be submitted to the candidates. It will also support communities in identifying and developing priority needs.
The needs drawn up in the form of specifications will be submitted to the various candidates who will parade through the districts, villages or municipalities to be elected. If the candidate presents himself with his social project, the synergy will help the community to compare his specifications and the candidate’s project. This is to find a happy medium.
After submitting the specifications to the candidate, the latter will sign an act of commitment in order to respect and execute what is agreed. And it is in this way that they will be able to benefit from the votes of the voters.
Once elected, if the candidate does not respect the commitment made with the communities, they will follow them for non-compliance with the instructions, said Mr. Loko Mutabunga, President of the Indigenous Peoples (Pygmies) of the Kabare territory. “The idea of the specifications is to support the communities in developing a notebook summarizing their priorities. Candidates had to agree to respect in order to benefit from their votes. »
Jacques Namegabe, from the National Federation of Associations of People Living with Disabilities (FENAPHACO/Sud-Kivu), appreciated the initiative of the specifications, but he remains skeptical about the definition of the content and its scope. Instead, he proposes strengthening voter education. “We cannot innovate for the sake of innovation. Instead of the specifications, I would like us to put an emphasis on voter education. This, so that voters can reach a certain level of understanding and analyzing the speeches of the candidates”.
The Territorial President of the Albinos of the Territory of Kabare / South Kivu, Mr. Leblanc Byenda, welcomes the specifications as an innovation. But he fears that the candidates do not make commitments.
Mrs. Rita Nzigire, in charge of programs for women survivors of violence in Katana, in the Irhambi Group, believes that active awareness-raising within political parties would be better than the specifications.
Note that this forum was supported by the Belgian NGO CNCD-11.11.11 and OSF-AFRICA via the National Office of AETA DRC in Kinshasa.
Source: AETA / Laurent Balagizi, CongoForum correspondent in Bukavu
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