At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

The National Assembly election and subnational elections for 26 provincial assemblies and communal councils will take place concurrently. 

Note: Voting was officially extended to the 21st of December for polling places which did not open on the 20th due to supply issues. 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: President Félix TSHISEKEDI (since 24 January 2019) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama LUKONDE (since 15 February 2021) 

• Assembly: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) with a 109-seat Senate (Senat) and a 500-seat National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by plurality vote and may serve up to two 5-year terms. 

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. 

• The Senate consists of 108 members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies who serve 5-year terms. The 109th seat is held by former President Joseph Kabila who holds a lifetime appointment. 

• In the National Assembly, 439 members are elected by proportional representation vote in multi-seat constituencies, and 61 are elected by plurality vote in single-seat constituencies. All 500 members are directly elected and serve 5-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In 2018, Félix TSHISEKEDI (UDPS) won the presidency with 38.57% of the vote, defeating twenty other candidates. Voter turnout was 45.50%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

In 2022, the Electoral Law 22-029 introduced reforms aimed at increasing transparency and confidence in elections, including: a requirement for participating parties and coalitions to field candidates for at least 60% of National Assembly seats, ineligibility to run for office if convicted of genocide and other grave offenses, legal standards for electronic voting, online publication of election results for each polling place, and publication of polling place maps thirty days before campaigning starts. In 2023, Law 23/025 established new seat allocations for the national and provincial assemblies based on the revised voter roll. Additionally, citizens in several territories (Kwamouth, Masisi, and Rutshuru) did not receive voter cards due to ongoing armed conflict in North Kivu province, and they will not be able to vote in this election.

Information for Voters: 

• Instructions de téléchargement de l’application CENI RDC Mobile (Download instructions for voter information app) in French 

• Cartographie des bureaux de vote (Polling place maps) in French 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 8 October 2023  

• Voter registration deadline: varies by province 

• 23 January 2023 for Kongo-Central, Kinshasa, Kwango, Kwilu, Mai-Ndombe, Equateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi and Tshuapa 

• 23 February 2023 for Kasaï, Kasaï Central, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, Sankuru, Haut-Lomami, Haut-Katanga, Lualaba, Tanganyika and overseas citizens in South Africa, Belgium, and France 

• 17 March 2023 for Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, Tshopo, Nord-Kivu, SudKivu, Maniema, and overseas citizens in Canada and the US 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Félix TSHISEKEDI 

• Incumbent 

• Independent (running as an independent but still the leader of the Union pour le Démocratie et le Progrès Social)

• Moïse KATUMBI 

• Ensemble pour la République (EPR) 

• Martin FAYULU 

• Lamuka coalition 

• Denis MUKWEGE  

• Independent 

• Radjabho Tebabho SOBORABO 

• Congolais Unis pour le Changement (CUC) 

• Constant MUTAMBA 

• Dynamique Progressiste Révolutionaire (DYPRO) 

• Floribert ANZULUNI 

• Independent 

• Jean Claude BAENDE 

• Independent 

• Tony Cassius BOLAMBA 

• Independent 

• Georges BUSE 

• Independent 

• Marie-Josée IFOKU 

• Independent 

• Rex KAZADI 

• Independent 

• Patrice MAJONDO-MWAMBA 

• Independent 

• André MASALU 

• Independent 

• Justin MUDEKEREZA 

• Independent 

• Abraham NGALASI 

• Independent 

• Theodore NGOY 

• Independent 

• Loli NKEMA LILOO 

• Independent 

• Noël TSHIANI 

• Independent 

• Adolphe MUZITO 

• Nouvel Elan (NOU.EL) 

• Joëlle BILE 

• Independent 

• Enoch NGILA 

• Independent 

• Matata PONYO Mapon (dropped out of the race in support of KATUMBI) 

• Leadership et Gouvernance pour le Développement (LGD) 

• Delly SESANGA (dropped out of the race in support of KATUMBI) 

• ENVOL 

• Seth KIKUNI (dropped out of the race in support of KATUMBI) 

• Independent 

• Franck DIONGO (dropped out of the race in support of KATUMBI) 

• Mouvement Lumumbiste Progressiste (MLP) 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 99,010,210 (2022 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 43,955,181 (2023)

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 49,892,180 (2022 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 17 October 1986 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 64 out of 500 (12.8%) in the National Assembly and 26 out of 109 (23.9%) in the Senate 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.479, Low, Rank 179 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 46.9 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Ratified (by accession) 30 September 2015 

• Projected population with a disability: 15,841,634 (2022 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in the DRC: Yes, country office  

• Election FAQs: Yes

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 10 resources