EU Parliament observes "better" elections in Congo

A team of MEPs recently went to the Democratic Republic of Congo to observe the crucial presidential run-off held on 29 October. Many hope it will end decades of dictatorship and civil war in Congo which has left millions dead. After the first round in July, supporters of the frontrunner President Joseph Kabila and his rival - former rebel turned Vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba - clashed violently. For the second round UN and EU troops meant the atmosphere remained tense but voting was calm.

Jürgen Schröder, the German Christian Democrat MEP who headed Parliament's delegation said after the poll that "everything went much better" than expected. This followed earlier problems with voter registration in the first round. He also praised the "dignity and determination" of the Congolese people.

UN and EU send large peacekeeping forces

President Kabila won the first round but fell just short of the 50% needed to prevent a run-off. The final results should be declared within 2 weeks due to the remoteness of some polling stations in a country the size of Western Europe.

The aim of the 9 member team of MEPs was to monitor the electoral practices and to ensure that the poll was conducted in a fair and open way. They joined the 50,000 Congolese national observers across the country as well as some 250 EU observers.

The European Union also has a contingent of 2,400 troops (the largest ever) there to maintain stability during the 4 month election period. They join the world's largest UN peacekeeping force with 17,000 troops in Congo. A group of MEPs from parliament's security committee arrived in the capital Kinshasa this week to talk to commanders of the force to gauge the security situation.

"Africa's world war"

Since 1996 DRC has been devastated by war - at its height it involved 9 African countries and 20 armed factions. The conflict was made worse by Congo's mineral wealth (it has 30% of the world's diamonds). By the official end of the war in 2003, nearly 4 million died due to warfare and disease in a conflict described by some as "Africa's world war". However, the misery of war continues, according the UN mission in Congo "nearly 1000 people die every day from causes of the conflict". The situation is made worse with 80% of the 56 million people living in poverty.

The European Union and its members have invested over €250 million to help put the Congo back on its feet. After the vote the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana praised the "attachment to peace and democracy" of the Congolese people. The European Commissioner for humanitarian aid Louis Michel also sent his congratulations.

Before leaving Kinshasa Jürgen Schröder commented that the European Parliament had a "particular empathy with...Congolese parliament, as both work in a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic environment and have emerged from a ravaging war." Cooperation between the two will also be discussed in the EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific Parliamentary Assembly which meets twice a year to discuss trade and aid. Last month MEPs approved a proposal that will mean more money for improving Parliamentary cooperation with the developing world.

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• EU Commission proposes doubling European aid to support democratic government in DRC  (4/12/2006)
• RDC: La Commission européenne salue l'annonce des résultats de la présidentielle  (27/11/2006)
• EU Council Conclusions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (13/11/2006)
• Solana, le Haut Représentant de l'UE pour la PESC, salue le bon déroulement des élections en République Démocratique du Congo  (30/10/2006)
• Session Extraordinaire du Conseil : Conclusions sur la République Démocratique du Congo.  (25/8/2006)
• EU Presidency Statement - United Nations Security Council Public Meeting on the Democratic Republic of Congo (6/7/2006)
• Background note on EU support to the DRC during the election process (12/6/2006)
• European Union to deploy Election Observation Mission to Congo Elections (16/5/2006)