Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, is a central African state that exhibits low performance across all four categories of the Global State of Democracy framework. It is among the bottom 25 percent of countries with regard to Representation, Rights, and the Rule of Law. DRC is economically dependent on its mining industry, which has left it vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations.
DRC gained independence from over five decades of Belgian colonization in 1960, which was characterised by corruption, human rights abuses, and impunity. These challenges continue in a country that has also endured decades of armed conflict in its eastern provinces and related humanitarian crises, and a history of autocratic clientelist political rule since its independence. Despite being burdened by one of the worst poverty rates in the world, its economic outlook is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
DRC’s political history has been marked by extreme levels of graft. Former President Joseph-Desire Mobutu, who took power in a bloodless coup and ruled from 1965 to 1997, amassed a personal fortune of between 5 and 10 billion USD while using Western support to maintain political stability. Rampant corruption, often fuelled by the illegal mining of the country’s vast natural resources, has continued to mark the landscape. Armed conflict has also been a defining feature of the context, colouring the entire region; up to eight African countries have been involved at certain points. There are approximately one hundred rebel groups operating in DRC and some are believed to be supported by neighbouring states which has resulted in strained regional relations. Notably, Eastern DRC (North and South Kivu and Ituri) have become the site of ethnic conflict and violent resource competition, which have also resulted in controversial United Nations peacekeeping interventions dating to 1999. Long-standing ethnic tensions have resulted in discrimination and violence against groups such as the Ethnic Twa persons and Rwandaphones, while complex inter-communal violence between different ethnic groups persist.
DRC is among the world’s bottom 25 per cent with regard to performance on Gender Equality. Over the course of the conflict, it is estimated that as many as one million women have been raped and sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. UN peacekeepers have also been accused of sexual exploitation. Despite the current efforts to promote gender equality, gender gaps in the labour market and low representation of women in political leadership require further incentives.
Looking ahead, DRC confronts numerous domestic and regional challenges to its democracy and human performance. The vast number of armed groups operating within the eastern part of its territory exacerbates the country’s ongoing humanitarian crises and highlights the state’s lack of control. The armed conflict in the east is likely to continue to negatively impact DRC’s performance across many of the Global State of Democracy Indices indicators. The widespread irregularities observed in the recent 2023 presidential elections underline the pressing need for electoral reforms. Despite advancements in the Rule of Law over the past five years, the recent reinstatement of the death penalty and a rise in the abduction and detention of civil society activists, opposition members and journalists raises concerns about Personal Integrity and Security.
Last updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
April 2024
The DRC appoints first female Prime Minister
On 1 April, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President, Félix Tshisekedi, appointed Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the country’s first female prime minister. Tuluka is a member of Tshisekedi’s party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, and formerly served as the DRC’s planning minister. The appointment was hailed by the President’s office as reinforcing ‘the positive masculinity advocated by …Tshisekedi’ and was reported by the media as fulfilling his campaign promise to achieve greater gender equality. It comes four months after the country’s December general elections, which were marked by the underrepresentation of women among the candidates and saw just 61 women win seats in the National Assembly (approximately 13 per cent of the 477 elected members).
Sources: Jeune Afrique, The Africa Report, Reuters, Associated Press News, International IDEA, Inter-Parliamentary Union
March 2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo reinstates death penalty
In a circular dated 13 March, the Ministry of Justice revealed that in February the government had decided to lift the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) 21-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty. According to the circular, the decision was motivated by the need ‘to rid our country’s army of traitors…and to stem the resurgence of acts of terrorism and urban banditry.’ A date was not given for the implementation of the decision. The weaknesses of the DRC’s judicial system, recently acknowledged by President Tshisekedi, have given rise to fears amongst Congolese rights activists that the reinstatement of the death penalty will lead to summary executions. Jeune Afrique reported security sources who indicated that the ‘public execution of soldiers’ accused of collaborating with Rwanda and the M23 rebels operating in the east of the country were likely already being planned. Amnesty International called the government’s decision ‘a huge step backward’ and ‘even more alarming’ in the context of growing state repression.
Sources: Jurist, Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), LUCHA, Amnesty International, The Africa Report
February 2024
Violence in east increases, as does international involvement
The level of violence in the long-running conflicts in the eastern states of the country increased considerably in the first two months of 2024. In February, the M23 rebel group advanced further towards the city of Goma, causing at least 135,000 people to flee, adding to the hundreds of thousands who have already been internally displaced. There were also credible reports that heavier weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, rocket artillery, and armed drones, was being used in the conflict. Relations between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda also deteriorated, suggesting that a further intensification of the conflict is possible in the coming months.
Sources: Times LIVE, United Nations, Daily Monitor, News24, The Conversation
December 2023
Felix Tshisekedi wins second term as President
General elections (for members of local councils, the National Assembly and the president) were held on 20 December. The context included a lack of transportation infrastructure, violent conflict in the east, and many thousands of internally displaced persons. The voting period was extended in some locations by several days in an attempt to overcome logistical and procedural problems. The official results showed that incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi won re-election with 73.3 per cent of the valid votes. His party, Union for Democracy and Social Progress (Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social, UDPS), won the most seats in the National Assembly, and together with its coalition partners will have a strong majority. Turnout was 41.0 per cent of those registered, down from 45.4 per cent in the last general election in 2018. Women continued to be underrepresented among the candidates for office. Only two of the 26 candidates for President were women, and less than one third of the 100,000 candidates for the various offices were women. Observers noted a large number of logistical and procedural problems, ranging from long delays in opening polling places, to fights, and even polling places that were ransacked or set on fire. Despite these problems, the Supreme Court dismissed appeals and confirmed the official result on 9 January 2024.
Sources: Commission Electorale Nationale Independante, Southern African Development Community, Anadolu Agensi, International IDEA, CENCO-ECC (1), CENCO-ECC (2), France24
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Global State of Democracy Indices
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Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
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