Bukavu, 21 June 2012 – In Bukavu, from 18 to 20 June 2012, the Sud Kivu provincial executive secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), in collaboration with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), organized a training session for 56 agents who will be deployed to 28 electoral centres in Bukavu as well as the eight territories in Sud-Kivu, to sensitize the population on civic behaviour during elections.

Robert Lukebana Mbala, the Sud Kivu provincial executive secretary underlined that this initiative is part of the pre-operational provincial plan for providing civic and electoral education to actors in the electoral process which spreads over seven months from 15 June 2012 to 15 January 2013. In his opinion, this initiative will allow the province to prepare the 2013 elections in a concerted manner so as to ensure tranquillity, calm and social peace during the announcement and publication of poll results.

The themes discussed during this workshop addressed several modules, namely the mission, functions, and operational structures of the electoral commission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the procedure for submission of candidatures to the provincial council; mechanisms for the distribution of seats at the provincial council; the certification process for witnesses and journalists; voting and counting procedures, processing, compilation and securing of results.

MONUSCO is the only institution which provides technical and logistical support to the CENI provincial executive secretariat in South Kivu.

Biliaminou Alao/ MONUSCO