By Kudra Maliro
The Democratic Republic of Congo is a few days from the December 20, 2023 General Election, and campaigns have entered homestretch.
As candidates crisscross municipalities and regions to woo voters, one thing is apparent – that there are fewer women contestants than men.
TRT Afrika spoke to a number of women – voters and candidates – on how they feel about the upcoming polls, and what matters most to them. The answers aligned to two key issues: security and development.
Delice Kawaya, a civil service trainee in the eastern town of Beni, says she will vote for the incumbent president, Felix Tshisekedi, to enable continuity.
'Right leaders'
According to the 23-year-old, the president has made significant reforms in the army to facilitate the fight against armed groups in eastern DR-Congo.
"There were times when people living on the outskirts of Goma were forced to leave their homes for safer places.
"Girls bore the harshest brunt, as some of them would be sexually abused by their hosts in exchange for food and accommodation," Kawaya said, observing that the security situation in Goma had somehow improved, though more work still needed to be done.
Natalie Maliva, a medicine graduate and activist, says "only the right leaders can change DR-Congo."
'Capable of doing everything'
"If we vote for the wrong people, we can only regress as a nation," she said.
"In the DR-Congo, we are capable of doing everything (for ourselves). We can build industries, roads and hospitals on our own. However, that is only possible if we have a secure country," Maliva added.
Whereas Maliva and Kawaya are looking forward to casting their vote on December 20, Alice, an agri-food graduate, says she will not vote because "nothing will change anyway."
Female candidates, who are few compared to men, have come face to face with the hardship of sustaining an election campaign – from limited financial resources to gender stereotypes.
Yet to campaign
Neema Kamabu, a national legislative candidate, is yet to physically campaign, four days to the election. She only printed a few campaign posters and ran out of funds.
Kamabu has resigned to the highly possible fate of losing. "I will now focus on 2028 elections. There is no way out for me in this year's election."
She said her political party had promised her money for campaigns, but reneged on the pledge.
Joelle Bile Batali, a female candidate initially eyeing the presidential seat, has since withdrawn and thrown her support behind President Tshisekedi.
Only one female presidential candidate left
"This choice is justified by my desire to consolidate what has been achieved, and to give priority to defending our country, while preserving our national sovereignty," the 51-year-old former journalist said on X social media platform on Friday.
Bile's withdrawal leaves only one woman in the presidential race, Marie-Jose Ifoku, the former governor of Tshuapa Province.
There are at least 20 candidates running for president in the DRC elections. The perceived frontrunners are Tshisekedi, Martin Fayulu, Moise Katumbi and Denis Mukwege.
All have promised to improve DR-Congo's security and economy should they win.
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