Eastern Congolese Gear Up for Election

November 24, 2011

People walk under a giant poster showing Democratic Republic of the Congo 's President and candidate for a second term Joseph Kabila, in Kinshasa, November 7, 2011.

The eastern provinces are some of the most volatile parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and have been plagued by war and humanitarian crisis for decades. This week, as they gear up to vote in Congo's second election since the end of a civil war, some voters are jubilant, while others fear - and threaten - that these elections will not be peaceful

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In the final days of campaigning, trucks packed with dancers and bullhorns play music and crisscross the North Kivu provincial capital, Goma. Campaign posters occupy every available space. There are 11 contenders for the DRC's presidential seat and about 1,800 candidates running for parliament.

With no pollsters here, everyone is certain their candidate will win. But no one is certain the elections will come off on time, peacefully or fairly.

In a crowd of like-minded citizens, Deborah Musafari says she supports Vital Kamerhe, one of the top three contenders for president. But she fears that if he wins there will be renewed violence. "We fear the elections won’t be peaceful because some people say if their candidate doesn’t win they will go back to fighting in the bush. We don’t want another rebellion," she said. "We know that Kamerhe has won -- voting is just a formality."