Swedish Member of the European Parliament Malin Björk detailed on November 21, 2023, the parameters of a European Union (EU) observation mission she leads in the context of the general elections scheduled for December 20.
The electoral campaign is in full swing in the country, having commenced on November 19 for the upcoming general elections, encompassing the presidential, legislative, and provincial ballots.
The EU has dispatched a mission to observe the proceedings, and on November 21, the mission’s chief presented to the press the contours of this undertaking. Malin Björk, who recently observed the presidential election in Liberia, is now heading the mission in the DRC.
Presently, approximately ten electoral experts are in the process of deployment in the DRC, accompanied by around forty long-term observers committed to a mission spanning several weeks. These observers arrived on November 17, currently undergoing training, and will be deployed across 17 provinces. On the day of the vote, they will be joined by short-term observers. The EU aims to deploy close to a hundred individuals for this crucial task.