At stake in this election:

• 500 seats in the National Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Joseph KABILA *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Antoine GIZENGA
• Assembly: Democratic Republic of the Congo has a bicameral legislature consisting of the National Assembly with 500 seats and the Senate with 108 seats.

* Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by direct popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the National Assembly, 61 members are elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 439 members are elected by open list proportional representation in multi-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms. In the Senate 108 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms.**

** The 108 members of the Senate are elected by indirect vote, by provincial deputies from within and outside the provincial Assembly, to serve 5-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) / Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Democratie
  • ​Leader: Joseph KABILA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 111
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) / Mouvement pour la Liberation du Congo
  • Leader: Jean-Pierre BEMBA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 64
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Forces for Renewal / Forces du Renouveau
  • Leader: Antipas Mbusa NYAMWISI
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 26
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Congolese Rally for Democracy / Rassemblement Congloais pour la Democratie
  • Leader: Azaria RUBERWA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 15
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Christian Democratic Party / Parti Démocrate Chrétien (PDC)
  • Leader: Jose Endundo BONONGE
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 8
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Social Movement for Renewal (MSR) / Mouvement Social pour le Renouveau
  • Leader: Pierre LUMBI
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 27
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Unified Lumumbist Party / Parti Lumumbist Unife (PALU)
  • Leader: Antoine GIZENGA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 34
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Coalition of Congolese Democrats (CODECO) / Coalition des Democrates Congolais
  • Leader: Pierre Ray Pay WASIAKASIGE
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 10
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Convention of Christian Democrats (CDC) / Convention des Democrates Chretiens
  • Leader: Flobentin Moronda BONZA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 10
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Union of Mobutuist Democrats / (UDEMO)
  • Leader: Mobutu NZANGA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 9
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Camp of the Fatherland (CP)
  • Leader: Z'ahidi Arthur NGOMA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 8
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Federalist Christian Democracy--Convention of Federalists for Christian Democracy (DCF-COFEDEC)
  • Leader: Venant TSHIPASA
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 8
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Union of Nationalist Federalists of Congo (UNAFEC)
  • Leader: Honorius Kisimba NGOYI
  • Seats won in this National Assembly election: 7
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A

Last Legislative election:

• In the past, the National Assembly was appointed by members of the government.

Population and registered voters:

• Population: 57,926,840 (2006)
• Registered voters: 25,421,249

Gender Data:

·         Female Population:29,137,200 (2006)

·         Is Democratic Republic of the Congo a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Democratic Republic of the Congo ratified CEDAW: Yes (17 October 1986)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 42 (National Assembly) (following 2006 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 176 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data: 

·         Is Democratic Republic of the Congo a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Democratic Republic of the Congo ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (30 September 2015)

·         Population with a disability: 8,689,026 (est.)