Goma : a civil society protest to denounce blunders in enrollment centers

A demonstration organized by the positive Generation citizen movement took place on Thursday. This organization denounces coinage and influence peddling and other blunders in several voter registration centers in the city of Goma. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

“Citizenship cannot be bought. No to the coinage of the voter card”. “Kadima, give us good voter cards”. This is what we could read on signs held up by the protestors.
The Positive Generation says it does not understand how the voter card has become payable.

“La Génération positive denounces the plan of the Independent National Electoral Commission CENI in North Kivu to exclude a good number of voters in the province from the electoral process”, said a member of this organization.

This demanded the extension of the enrollment period by at least three months as well as the increase of enrollment centers.

“Influence peddling and favoritism in enrollment centers are to be discouraged”, insisted David Wakilongo of the positive generation.

In the continuation of their demonstration, activists went to the governorate of the province and displayed their placards.

They demanded that the authorities get involved to “put an end to the disgraceful behavior” of the CENI.

“We are here to ask the governor of the province, General Constant Ndima, to put an end to these CENI adventures in North Kivu because it has become too stressful to imagine old mothers working more than 8 hours to go to the enrollment center without success. That’s serious”, pleaded Anne Marie Katungu.

“We are asking authorities to take measures that can secure the population and give us our voter cards because it is our right as Congolese citizens”, she insisted.

Others believe that the authorities should increase the number of CENI agents to facilitate the smooth running and speed of the work.

In front of the governorate, a delegation from the Positive Generation was received by the governor of North Kivu. The latter assured them that he will look for solutions to continue the enrollment operations calmly.

“I know you are not happy and that is understandable, but I promise to settle this so that together we can find a lasting solution”, reassured Constant Ndima Kongba, military governor of North Kivu to the demonstrators.

They say they were not satisfied with the response from the provincial authority.

“We are not the first to alert to this situation. We are going to launch large-scale actions so that the voice of the lower classes is heard”, announced Séraphin Lubungo.

“Generals and other big names come to enlistment centers with a group of people. These are then served before those who have been there since 3 a.m., and finally, they are sent home without having been served, it is serious”, said Munyakasali Milina.

It should be remembered that since the start of enrollment in North Kivu, many civil society actors have constantly denounced the shenanigans observed in the enrollment centers.

In the neighboring province of South Kivu, especially in Kalehe, voters denounced the same mistakes.