More than a hundred people are waiting to get registered at the centre in Itig, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Goma. They shout and they push. The conditions to get a voters card seem to be chaotic.

by Anneke Verbraeken, Goma

‘It’s a shame’, a young man says. Some of us are here for more than three days. Each morning we get a number, but if you can’t get registered, you have to beg for another number the next day. If you pay forty dollars though, you can get right in. I don’t have that money, but our neighbours, the Rwandans, do.” The group around him shout its contentment. Fists are heaved.

Clash with Rwandans
Only a few days ago the Congolese standing in line at Itig, started a fight with the Rwandese, also standing in line to get registered. They wanted them to leave. The Rwandans have no right to participate in the elections of a Congolese president.

According to the people at Itig, it’s all about Kivu. President Joseph Kabila promised that carrot to Rwanda, if Rwanda would provide voters in November. So now the Rwandese people are pouring into the DRC to get a voters card.

Chaos and fraude
Who wants to vote, the 27th of November, needs a voter’s card. To get one, you have to be registered. The biometrical registration (9500 machines for the whole country) started the 2nd of April and takes three months. But already this term has been expanded, because of the problems in the first two weeks.

Until now, registration is chaotic. In some areas of the DRC not all the planned registration centres are open yet. Machines are broken down, generators are missing, or there is no fuel for the generators. People have to wait for days to get registered.

There are accusations of fraud with student cards and work permits. With these cards Rwandans, studying or working in the DRC, can get a voters card. The national elections committee Ceni (Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendente) says the problems have to do with the start-up. In a few weeks everything will run smoothly, they say.

False registration
The vice-coordinator of the provincional branch of Ceni in North-Kivu, admits there are problems. He also admits the fraud. He has seen false registration cards with his own eyes. According to him the numbers are significant, although he can’t’ give exact figures.

If there’s a Rwandan fraud on a large scale, is difficult to prove. False identity cards are not confiscated. Also is unknown how many people actually live in Goma for example. The mair himself thinks it’s somewhere between 900.000 and 1.1 million. Approximately. He is pro-Kabila and denies the large-scale fraud: ‘We are talking about incidents, nothing more.’

The people waiting before the registration centre in Itig, totally disagree: ‘We see a lot of foreigners, while we have to wait for days.’ But why are they willing to wait for so long? Do they want to vote in November? ‘Off course not’ a young woman says. ‘It’s an important identity card. I need that card for something else.’

Opposition?
The presidential elections take this time only one round. The constitution was changed to get this done. The change is said to be profitable for Kabila: the opposition has to unify before the elections and to choose one leader. That proves rather difficult: Etienne Tsjekedi is an old and sick man, the young Vital Kamerhe has problems to get the –old- opposition behind his candidature, and Bemba’s party wants to wait until Bemba is acquitted; he awaits in The Hague his ICC-trial.