At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Joseph KABILA *
• Head of Government: President Joseph KABILA **
• Assembly: Democratic Republic of the Congo has a bicameral legislature consisting of the National Assembly with 500 seats and the Senate with 120 seats.

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

** The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by direct popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the National Assembly, 60 members are elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 440 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 Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Joseph KABILA KABANGE
  • ​Party: Independent Candidate
• Jean Pierre BEMBA GOMBA
  • ​Party: Movement for the Liberation of Congo/Mouvement pour la Liberation du Congo
• Antoine GIZENGA
  • Party: Unified Lumumbist Party/Parti Lumumbiste Unifie
• Oscar Kashala LUKUMUENDA
  • Party: Union for the Reconstruction of Congo/Union pour la Reconstruction du Congo
• ​Vincent de Paul Lunda BULULU
  • Party: Rally of Socialist and Federalist Forces/Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie
• ​Francoise Mobutu Nzanga NGANGAWE
  • Party: Union of Mobutuist Democrats/Union des Democrates Mobutistes
• Pierre Pay Pay Wa SYAKASSIGHE
  • Party: Federalist Christian Democracy - Convention of Federalists for Christian Democracy/Democratie Chretienne Federaliste - Convention des Federalistes pour la Democratie Chretienne
• Azarias Ruberwa MANYWA
  • Party: Congolese Rally for Democracy/Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie

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.)