By Ebi Kesiena
Father Victor Ntambwe of the Saint Charles Lwanga church in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital has urged his members to enlist in the electioneering process and vote.
The catholic priest portrayed his readiness to vote by brandishing his voter card in front of the congregation half way into the homily, adding that registering to vote gives the people power to pick their preferred candidates.
With presidential elections just months away, he had an earthly message to deliver alongside the psalms and the sermon. He told the worshippers to follow his lead, hold up their cards and show they had registered.
“If we do not register to vote, we will have the authorities we deserve, but if we enlist and vote, we can hold them to account,”
Democratic Republic of Congo’s Catholic Church has a long history of promoting democracy in the vast African country where organising elections has been complicated by financial and logistical problems, and where disputes over vote tampering have frequently caused widespread unrest.
Once again, the church is gearing up to monitor elections scheduled for December in which President Felix Tshisekedi will seek a second term in office.
