Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations to the Congolese Government on reported concerns with the adequacy of electronic voting arrangements in the forthcoming elections.

I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in April 2018 and discussed electronic voting machines with the Electoral Commission (CENI). At their request, the UK funded a technical analysis of the machines to help identify and mitigate the challenges around their use in DRC’s elections.

The UK has repeatedly encouraged CENI to adopt the recommendations from the analysis and address concerns of stakeholders with the electoral process, including most recently through a UN Security Council Statement on 21st November, and a meeting between senior officials and CENI on 11^th December.