EASTERN DRC VOTERS REJECT MONSENGWO'S CALL FOR NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000785

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: EASTERN DRC VOTERS REJECT MONSENGWO'S CALL FOR NEW
"DIALOGUE"

REF: A. KINSHASA 706


B. KINSHASA 721

Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (C) During a May 4-10 visit to several towns in eastern
DRC, PolOff discovered strong disagreement to the appeal by
Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo to launch a new national
political dialogue in order to achieve a "consensus" on the
DRC's political calendar (ref A) -- if, in fact, such a
dialogue would necessitate further delays in the electoral
calendar. In North Kivu province and Ituri District, members
of political parties, civil society, the business community
and the Catholic Church were nearly unanimous in agreeing
that opening a new dialogue now would invariably delay the
July 30 elections, since the parties involved would likely
attempt to renegotiate the terms of the transition. While the
groups PolOff encountered supported the idea of continued
national reconciliation and consultations, none wanted such a
process to take place at the expense of elections. (Note:
Monsengwo did not explicitly call for a delay in elections,
but his call for a national "dialogue" has been widely
perceived as an initiative that would inevitably further push
back elections. End note.)


2. (C) The reaction expressed by most groups in eastern DRC
was largely one of incredulity. Officials with the Catholic
Church in Butembo and Bunia (where the Church's opinion
carries significant weight among the population) questioned
Monsengwo's authority to insert himself into the country's
political process in such a manner. The Bishop of Bunia,
Monsignor Dieudonne Ulingi, in particular expressed worry
that the Archbishop's pronouncement would negatively
influence the Church's attempts (at least in Bunia) to remain
as neutral a force as possible during the pre-election
period. The assistant Bishop of Mahagi, Monsignor Leonard,
said he believed Monsengwo was "too far removed" from
political reality in the DRC, and that the Archbishop did not
understand the manner in which the Electoral Commission had
prepared the new electoral calendar. Both Monsignor Leonard,
and his counterpart in Butembo, Monsignor Emmanuel, said
Monsengwo's views should not be seen as a true reflection of
the Church's official position.


3. (C) Outside the Church hierarchy, there was also criticism
of Monsengwo's remarks. Elie Danga of Beni's civil society
and Beni's Mayor Julien Paluku said in separate conversations
that Monsengwo's announcement was nothing more than an
attempt to play the role of kingmaker during any potential
future national political conference. In Aru, the local
Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) coordinator claimed
Monsengwo was pursuing a "hidden agenda" by attempting to
derail the political process and delay elections.


4. (C) Philippe Mandefu, the Beni president of the regional
political party RCD-K/ML, said the Archbishop had no
authority to criticize the CEI's work. Other RCD-K/ML
officials PolOff met with -- including one candidate for the
National Assembly -- expressed the clear desire of nearly
every potential voter encountered in eastern DRC -- there
should be no further delays in holding elections.


5. (C) Comment: The reaction in eastern DRC to Monsengwo's
call for a new political "dialogue" is notable because it
underscores the strong desire of the vast majority of
Congolese to hold elections as soon as possible while
rejecting any political machinations to delay the vote any
further. Monsengwo's appeal may have garnered support in
certain quarters of Kinshasa and Kisangani, as evidenced by
the call from 11 of the DRC's 33 presidential candidates for
the resignation of the CEI's president (ref B). However, the
majority of citizens PolOff spoke with in the east (an area
that saw massive voter turnout in the country's December
constitutional referendum) remain in favor of getting to
election day with no further delays. End comment.
MEECE