Voting opened yesterday at 6am local time in the Democratic Republic of Congo general elections. The country has been enmeshed in war for much of the past 15 years, with millions of people having died, the greatest number of casualties in any conflict since the second world war. As a result of the conflict and insecurity, the country has for many years been ranked as the poorest in the world, with a GDP per capita of around $300.
The lead-up to the elections has been marred by protests and violence, and there are significant logistical problems with voting materials not having been delivered on time to numerous polling stations. There are more than 18,000 candidates contesting the 500 seats in parliament, and 11 candidates vying for the position of president, a position which has been held for the past five years by the 40-year-old Joseph Kabila.
This is the first election to have been organised by the government of the country. The previous election in 2006 was organised by the United Nations, and the principal losing presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba, organised several weeks of street battles following his loss. Bemba is now on trial at the International Criminal Court charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity resulting from military activities in the Central African Republic.