CONSTITUTION APPROVED; PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000058

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: CONSTITUTION APPROVED; PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE
ELECTORAL LAW

REF: 05 KINSHASA 2087 ET AL


1. (U) Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) President Abbe
Apollinaire Malu Malu announced January 11 that Congolese
voters approved the DRC's new constitution by a margin of 84
percent to 16 percent. The CEI said that 62 percent of the
DRC's 25 million voters participated in the December 18
referendum. For the constitution to enter into effect, the
referendum results must be certified by the Supreme Court
later this month.


2. (U) Voter participation was especially high in the eastern
part of the DRC, as was the "yes" vote in favor of the
constitution. Voter turnout was much lower in Kinshasa and
the Kasais, strongholds of the opposition UDPS party. The
results by province were as follows: Equateur, 84 percent to
16 percent; Bandundu, 89 percent to 11 percent; Maniema, 96
percent to 4 percent; South Kivu, 98 percent to 2 percent;
North Kivu, 97 percent to 3 percent; Kasai Occidental, 59
percent to 41 percent; Kasai Orientale, 81 percent to 19
percent; Katanga, 91 percent to 9 percent; Bas-Congo, 73
percent to 27 percent; Province Orientale, 87 percent to 13
percent; and Kinshasa, 52 percent to 48 percent.


3. (U) The approval of the constitution sets the stage for
national elections in the first half of 2006 and for an
elected government to be installed by June 30. The next
major -- and urgent -- step is for parliament to consider and
approve an electoral law. To that end, a presidential decree
was issued yesterday evening convening an extraordinary
session of parliament as of today - January 12.
MEECE


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