Political Declaration Issued by the Sixth Meeting of UDPS in the Diaspora held in New York from 11 to 13 November 2005
 

 

The Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) the leading political party in the Democratic Republic of Congo, held the sixth meeting of its Representatives based outside of Congo from 11 to 13 November 2005 in New York City.  This meeting saw the participation of delegations from Germany, Great Britain, Canada, France and the United States.  Having analyzed the current political, economic and social situation in the “Democratic” Republic of Congo and in consideration of upcoming elections (the Constitutional Referendum anticipated on December 18 and the first elections beginning March 2006), the participants at the meeting raised the following political options:

 

 

 

1. We are doing everything in our power to bring about an effective participation of UDPS in the upcoming elections, which must be free, democratic and transparent and in keeping with the Memorandum of 5 November 2005 addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations by our Party.

 

2. We invite the International Community as well as the Congolese authorities (Government, Parliament, Independent Electoral Commission) to facilitate the materialization this goodwill by realizing the following preconditions:

 

- Proceed to a mandatory administrative census of the population by using statistics and reliable projections such as those provided by the dioceses of the Catholic Church.

 

- Rapidly organize a new round of enrollment to permit populations unjustly excluded by the Independent Electoral Commission (ICE) to participate in the upcoming elections.  In particular we refer to the populations in the large provinces such as Bandundu, Equateur and a large part of West and East Kasa, as well as the districts of Ituri, Upper-Uele and Lower-Uele.  It is scandalous to see that less than half a million people were enrolled in the province of Bandundu (one of the most heavily populated in the country).

 

- Proceed to a rapid, serious and real reorganization of the Independent Electoral Commission (ICE) in order to allow representative forces such as UDPS to have oversight of the preparation and organization of elections.

 

- To move forward to an objective and independent evaluation of the work already carried out by the Independent Electoral Commission (ICE).  Such an evaluation must be done by an independent commission headed by a foreign judge such as, for example, Judge Goldstone, the former president of the independent electoral commission of South Africa.

 

- Organize an urgent meeting between the government, on one hand, and the UDPS and allied forces, on the other, in order to remove the remaining obstacles (which are described above) and to determine the way forward to credible elections.

 

3. We firmly condemn the targeted political assassination of Mr Alexandre Mbuyi, member of the National Committee of the UDPS, as well as recent attacks on members of our political leadership.

 

Issued at New York,  November 13, 2005

 

André Ilunga Kalonzo, Representative to the United Nations

 

René Kibanza Mwania, Representative in France

 

Claude Mbaya Kabasela, Representative in Germany

 

Albert Mukendi, Delegate of the Representation of Great Britain

 

Justin Mayunga, Representative to the United States

 

Claude Kiringa, Adjunct Representative to Canada

 

 

[Tshimanga John Metzel, Congo Educational Council, Translator]