UN Security Council calls for free, fair, inclusive elections in DRC

The UN Security Council on Monday called for "a free, fair, credible, inclusive, transparent elections" in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and called upon all political parties and their supports to "exercise maximum restraint in their actions and statements."

A presidential statement, adopted here by the 15-nation UN body, said, "The Security Council urges the government as well as all relevant parties to ensure an environment conducive to a free, fair, credible, inclusive, transparent elections" in the country.

"The Security Council stresses the importance for the government of the DRC and its national partners to take all steps to accelerate preparations for the elections without further delays, including by expediting the update of the voter registry," the statement said.

"The Security Council calls on the authorities to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially the right of peaceful assembly, and to exercise maximum restraint in their response to protests, and also calls upon the opposition forces, on their side, to show responsibility by ensuring the peaceful character of their demonstrations," the statement said.

"The Security Council reiterates its call upon all political parties, their supporters, and other political actors to exercise maximum restraint in their actions and statements, to refrain from violence, violent speeches or the provocations and to address their differences peacefully," said the statement.

"The Security Council calls on the government of the DRC to hold accountable those responsible for the killings on 19-20 September 2016 and all violations and abuses of human rights," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the statement said that "the Security Council is also deeply concerned by the human situation that continues to severely affect the civilian population in eastern DRC and the persistence of violence in eastern DRC," in particular in North Kivu Province where nearly 840,000 people were internally displaced as of Sept. 30, 2016, and more than 700 civilians have been killed since October 2014, the statement said.

"The Security Council urges authorities to hold accountable those deemed responsible for the violence," the statement said.

In late August, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on political stakeholders in the DRC to engage in an inclusive dialogue to overcome the impasse in the country's electoral process.

Ban stressed the importance of a credible political dialogue to ensure peaceful and timely presidential and legislative elections in line with the country's constitution.

The register of voters in the DRC started in July this year, and the country's electoral commission said the review of electoral register will take 16 months and will be concluded in September 2017.

DRC President Joseph Kabila has said the elections will be held after the operation of registering voters.

According to the DRC constitution, Kabila's second five-year term is supposed to end on Dec. 19, 2016.

The country's opposition parties have been calling for the elections to be held before the end of the year when Kabila's term ends. Enditem