By Chris Muhizi for MCN
Eight national parliamentarians from the insecure Rutshuru and Masisi regions recommend that the CENI open BRTC offices in Goma (North Kivu), which would serve their respective constituencies.
This suggestion was made by these national legislators in a letter to the CENI president dated July 3 that was received by Radio Okapi on Wednesday. The letter was sent by five national deputies from the Masisi region and three national deputies from the Rutshuru area.
Additionally, these MPs want voting rights to be guaranteed in the two territories’ government-run areas.
These deputies’ opinions are not all in agreement in Goma, though.
Since militia groups are still present and there is no state authority, these young people believe that it is difficult to organize elections in the territory of Rutshuru, for instance, at this time.
If it weren’t for the deputies, the two constituencies in Goma’s BRTCs could have already been opened in anticipation of the restoration of peace.
“If they believe that we cannot accomplish our goals in Masisi, we disagree and believe that we can accomplish our goals in Goma just as we did in the case of Nyiragongo. So that when security is restored, we can start the process of enlisting the populace and including them in the polls, we would maintain the data at that time while applying pressure to the government. Jules Mugiraneza, who was elected from Masisi, warned that a problem would arise if the CENI refused to acknowledge the candidatures of Masisi and Rutshuru and the government stopped exerting pressure to push out the rebel parties.
In actuality, sixteen of the nineteen groups on the territory of Masisi are wholly under the jurisdiction of the government, as the eight (08) MPs recall. The same is true for six of the fourteen groups that make up Rutshuru’s area.
Additional source: Okapi radio.
