UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Monday welcomed the recent steps taken by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) towards the successful holding of presidential and legislative elections scheduled at the end of the year.
In a press statement, the members of the council noted the the completion of the candidate registration and President Joseph Kabila respects for his commitment to abide by the Congolese Constitution and the provisions of the 31 December 2016 political agreement.
Kabila, who came to power in 2001 after the assassination of his father, former President Laurent Kabila, by law cannot run again after his mandate ended in December 2016.
Elections were originally scheduled to be held on Nov. 27, 2016 to determine a successor to Kabila, but were delayed with a broken promise to hold them by the end of 2017. The polls are finally set to take place on Dec. 23 this year.
Earlier in August, Kabila announced that he will not run again in the elections. Former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary was designated as the candidate of Kabila's ruling coalition.
In Tuesday's statement, the members of the council underlined the importance of the entire DRC political class and the institutions responsible for organizing the elections remaining committed to ensure the success of the rest of the electoral process, leading to a peaceful transfer of power.
They encouraged all DRC stakeholders to ensure that the polls take place "with the requisite conditions of transparency, credibility and inclusivity, including the full and effective participation of women at all stages."
Also, the members encouraged the Congolese government and the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that any request to MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping force in DRC, for logistical and technical support is made on time, in order to enable it to provide it.
