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: Prime Minister Adolphe MUZITO
• Assembly: Democratic Republic of the Congo has a bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consisting of the Senate (Sénat) with 112 seats and the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) with 500 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by plurality vote to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President.
• In the Senate (Sénat) 112 members are indirectly elected through an open-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms*. In the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale), 60 members are elected by plurality 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.**

* Members are elected by regional legislatures. Each multi-member district corresponds to one of 26 provinces or Kinshasha. The magnitude of each district is 4, except Kinshasha, whose magnitude is 8. The electoral system is open-list PR. Former Presidents may be Senators ex officio.

** There are 109 multi-member districts in the list tier. Minimum magnitude is 2. Each voter gets two votes: one in either tier.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Joseph KABILA Kabang
  • Party: People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy / Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD)
• Vital KAMERHE
  • Party: Union pour la Nation Congolaise (UNC)
• Etienne TSHISEKEDI
  • Party: Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS)
• Francois Joseph MOBUTU
  • Party: Union of Mobutuist Democrats / Union des Démocrates Mobutistes (UDM)
• Jean ANDEKA
  • Party: Alliance des Nationalistes Croyants Congolais (ANCC)
• Adam BOMBOLE
  • Independent(s): Independent
• Francios Nicephore KAKESE
  • Party: Union pour le Réveil et le Développement du Congo (URDC)
• Oscar KASHALA
  • Party: Union for the Rebuilding of Congo / Union pour la Réconstruction du Congo (URC)
• Leon KENGO
  • Party: Union des Forces du Changement (UFC)
• Antipas MBUSA
  • Independent(s): Independent
• Josue Alex MUKENDI
  • Independent(s): Independent

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 68,087,376 (2011)
• Registered Voters: 32,024,640 (2011)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 34,179,862 (2011)

·         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: 10,213,106 (est.)