Congo's voter registration numbers don't add up
(Read article summary)A report from International Crisis Group found that voter registration numbers in eastern Congo included fake voters, children, foreigners, and voters registered multiple times. [Editor's note: Due to an editing error, the headline and subheadline named the wrong country. It has been corrected.]
The International Crisis Group released a new report on the Congo this week called "The electoral process seen from the East." The report touches on several key points that are worth mentioning here.
First, they cite revealing figures concerning the voter registration process in the east. The registration figures for North Kivu, South Kivu, and Province Orientale are roughly similar, with each province meeting its goals almost exactly. This means that the population in each of these provinces grew around 20 percent between 2006 and 2011. Across the Congo, over one million voters registered more than expected by the election commission, a figure that ICG says should raise questions.
| Nord-Kivu | 3 003 246 | 101% | ||
| Province Orientale | 3 886 524 | 99% | ||
| Sud-Kivu | 2 022 960 | 101% |
