(Ecofin Agency) - In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the presidential elections would no longer be held on December 23, 2018, as planned, Corneille Nangaa (photo), president of the national electoral commission (CENI) indicated on December 20, 2018.

Confirming the rumors that have been circulating for days now about a report of the election, the official pointed out many logistics, health and security reasons that would make the CENI technically unable to organize the elections on December 23, 2018.

For instance, after the fire outbreak at a CENI warehouse last week, about five million new voting papers are expected from South Korea by Saturday 22, 2018 (on the eve of the initial voting date).

In addition, the Ebola outbreak in the Northeast and ethnical clashes in the west complicated the possibility of an organization, within the deadline, in the whole country.

While many members of the opposition are already denouncing this umpteenth report, many observers still doubt the state’s ability to organise the elections by December 30, 2018, due to the numerous challenges that it still has to face.

Let’s note that the next elections in the country should allow citizens choose a successor for the current president Joseph Kabila who has been ruling the country for seventeen years now. In case one of the opposition candidates win, these elections could lead to the first democratic change in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou