The resent elections in Congo were called to be the first democratic elections after 50 years. Ex-president Kabila should lay down his presidency in 2016, the elections were delayed for two years. Shortly before the elections Kabila said, that because of the Ebola-virus and the ongoing violence, regions with over one million inhabitants can not join the elections: Beni and Butembo in the Province of Nord-Kivu, as well as Yumbi in the west of Congo. They could elect in March 2019, but already in January the new President will be sweared-in. This is the very „democratic“ starting position for the elections.
Big protests and revolt break out in the regions, which were not allowed to be part of the elections. Especially the youth went on the streets and putted up barricades. Police used sharp ammunition and arrested dozens of demonstrators. Around 100 protesters were killed only before the elections.
How should „democratic elections“ been hold, if the situation is not democratic anyway? How can there be the talk about „democracy“ if 40.000 election observer come from the „neutral“ catholic church and 19.000 blue-helmet troops, under control of imperialism, observe militarily? How can the elections be „democratic“ if the most important people in the government are the administrators of the big mining projects for the imperialists?
And one another question: When it is the first democratic power change in the last 50 years, the assassination of Patrice Lumumba in 1961 under the directive of the imperialists was very democratic?
Congo is one of the richest African countries concerning resources. It has great deposits of gold, oil and also Coltan. Coltan is getting more and more important for the imperialists, because it‘s needed for producing computers, batteries, smartphones,… All of the imperialists are interested to rule over these resources, no one is interested in „democratic“ elections – it‘s about which president fulfills the best the interests of the Imperialists. That's the yardstick for the imperialists, if the elections were "democratic" or not.
Democracy for the people and the self-determination of the Congolese people can not be voted, because the election is another spectacle which is called „democracy“. In this case it‘s very openly undemocratic, because 1,3 Million people just can not participate and it doesn‘t matter. It shows the political crises of the imperialist bourgeoisie and the bureaucratic bourgeoisie in Congo.
The elections are an instrument for the ruling class to maintain their power – the oppressed people can not vote out Imperialism or exploitation. The progressive forces in the world recognized this and use the method of actively Election Boycott, to unmask this big spectacle as a try to prevent the peoples from their justified struggle.
Neither the one, nor another candidate will give real opposition to imperialist exploitation and imperialist war, hunger and misery, only the working class and the suppressed masses can smash the imperialist rule!
