Interesting, disturbing...
http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/2011/12/preliminary-analysis-of-results.html
Results are delayed until tomorrow, school is closed for the rest of the week and I am stuck on campus which has now been dubbed the "cruise." (You can eat, drink and play, but you can't get off).
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Gray Sky Voting and Election Aftermath
Although we didn't get the sunny skies CENI promised, war has been averted, and trouble seems manageable, or at the very least, delayed.
When millions of people went to cast their votes on Monday, they found that many important things were missing from the polling stations: ballots and ballot boxes, ink, instructions, observers, and competent and trained poll workers. Due to the late arrival of crucial materials and the difficulty in getting clear information about where and how to vote, voting continued on Tuesday and Wednesday helping more people cast votes despite the violence and intimidation which left many attacked and several opposition supporters gunned down by the presidential guard, polling stations burned down and trucks carrying ballot papers attacked. There have also been widespread complaints of pre-filled ballots, minors registered to vote, and individuals registered under several false identities.
I personally know several people in Kinshasa who were able to vote, many for the first time, fairly easily. I know others who were sent from one polling station to another for hours as officials denied them ballots despite their legitimate voter registration cards. In other neighborhoods of Kinshasa things were worse and there were more severe troubles in other regions.
Nonetheless, SADC and the AU declared the elections a success. The Carter Center offered a more balanced analysis of the logistical problems of the elections and the breaches of voters' rights. However, it is unclear if the irregularities will matter in the final count (although I certainly think they matter overall).
Last week I received a text message from the regional security officer at the US Embassy. It was one of those boilerplate messages that was not meant to be sent so what I received read: "In the aftermath of November 28th elections in DRC, the possibility." Sounds like a haiku, no?
Although the existential tone and the fact that the message was sent were both unintentional, it was timely in its own odd way. None of us really know what is going on and conflicting information and speculation abounds. Opposition leader Tshisikedi is ahead. Incumbent Kabila will win. One or the other will or will not accept defeat with or without violence. Official results are not supposed to be announced until Tuesday, but news keeps pouring out about the race.
Text messaging has been down since yesterday. The prevailing belief is that the government is trying to keep people from organizing and communicating. We are not supposed to leave the compound right now and the school will now be closed until at least Thursday.
All remains quiet. Keep eyes and ears on the news.
When millions of people went to cast their votes on Monday, they found that many important things were missing from the polling stations: ballots and ballot boxes, ink, instructions, observers, and competent and trained poll workers. Due to the late arrival of crucial materials and the difficulty in getting clear information about where and how to vote, voting continued on Tuesday and Wednesday helping more people cast votes despite the violence and intimidation which left many attacked and several opposition supporters gunned down by the presidential guard, polling stations burned down and trucks carrying ballot papers attacked. There have also been widespread complaints of pre-filled ballots, minors registered to vote, and individuals registered under several false identities.
I personally know several people in Kinshasa who were able to vote, many for the first time, fairly easily. I know others who were sent from one polling station to another for hours as officials denied them ballots despite their legitimate voter registration cards. In other neighborhoods of Kinshasa things were worse and there were more severe troubles in other regions.
Nonetheless, SADC and the AU declared the elections a success. The Carter Center offered a more balanced analysis of the logistical problems of the elections and the breaches of voters' rights. However, it is unclear if the irregularities will matter in the final count (although I certainly think they matter overall).
Last week I received a text message from the regional security officer at the US Embassy. It was one of those boilerplate messages that was not meant to be sent so what I received read: "In the aftermath of November 28th elections in DRC, the possibility." Sounds like a haiku, no?
Although the existential tone and the fact that the message was sent were both unintentional, it was timely in its own odd way. None of us really know what is going on and conflicting information and speculation abounds. Opposition leader Tshisikedi is ahead. Incumbent Kabila will win. One or the other will or will not accept defeat with or without violence. Official results are not supposed to be announced until Tuesday, but news keeps pouring out about the race.
Text messaging has been down since yesterday. The prevailing belief is that the government is trying to keep people from organizing and communicating. We are not supposed to leave the compound right now and the school will now be closed until at least Thursday.
All remains quiet. Keep eyes and ears on the news.
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