At Stake in this Election: 

• All 500 seats of the Congolese National Assembly 

The presidential election and subnational elections for 26 provincial assemblies and communal councils will take place concurrently.

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: President Félix TSHISEKEDI (since 24 January 2019) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama LUKONDE (since 15 February 2021) 

• Assembly: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) with a 109-seat Senate (Senat) and a 500-seat National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by plurality vote and may serve up to two 5-year terms. 

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. 

• The Senate consists of 108 members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies who serve 5-year terms. The 109th seat is held by former President Joseph Kabila who holds a lifetime appointment. 

• In the National Assembly, 439 members are elected by proportional representation vote in multi-seat constituencies, and 61 are elected by plurality vote in single-seat constituencies. All 500 members are directly elected and serve 5-year terms. 

Last Election:  

In 2018, the Joint Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won a majority in the National Assembly with 341 seats. The Lamuka coalition won 112 seats, and the Heading for Change coalition won 47 seats.  

New/Unique in this Election:  

In 2022, the Electoral Law 22-029 introduced reforms aimed at increasing transparency and confidence in elections, including: a requirement for participating parties and coalitions to field candidates for at least 60% of National Assembly seats, ineligibility to run for office if convicted of genocide and other grave offenses, legal standards for electronic voting, online publication of election results for each polling place, and publication of polling place maps thirty days before campaigning starts. In 2023, Law 23/025 established new seat allocations for the national and provincial assemblies based on the revised voter roll. Additionally, citizens in several territories (Kwamouth, Masisi, and Rutshuru) did not receive voter cards due to ongoing armed conflict in North Kivu province, and they will not be able to vote in this election.

Information for Voters: 

• Instructions de téléchargement de l’application CENI RDC Mobile (Download instructions for voter information app) in French 

• Cartographie des bureaux de vote (Polling place maps) in French 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 15 July 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: varies by province 

• 23 January 2023 for Kongo-Central, Kinshasa, Kwango, Kwilu, Mai-Ndombe, Equateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi and Tshuapa 

• 23 February 2023 for Kasaï, Kasaï Central, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, Sankuru, Haut-Lomami, Haut-Katanga, Lualaba, Tanganyika and overseas citizens in South Africa, Belgium, and France 

• 17 March 2023 for Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, Tshopo, Nord-Kivu, SudKivu, Maniema, and overseas citizens in Canada and the US 

Main Parties in this Election:  

• Union for Democracy and Social Progress / Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UDPS) 

• Leader: Félix TSHISEKEDI 

• Seats won in last election: part of the CACH coalition, which won 47 out of 500 seats 

• Part of the new coalition “Union sacrée pour la nation” 

• Together for the Republic / Ensemble pour la République (EPR) 

• Leader: Moïse KATUMBI 

• Seats won in last election: part of Lamuka coalition, which won 112 out of 500 seats 

• Liberation Movement of the Congo / Mouvement de libération du Congo (MLC) 

• Leader: Jean-Pierre BEMBA 

• Seats won in last election: part of Lamuka coalition, which won 112 out of 500 seats 

• Part of the new coalition “Union sacrée pour la nation” 

• Leadership and Governance for Development / Leadership et gouvernance pour le développement (LGD) 

• Leader: Matata PONYO 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 500 

• Christian Democratic Alliance of Congo / Alliance des democrats chrétiens du Congo (ALDEC) 

• Leader: Princesse Adèle KAHINDA 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 500 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 99,010,210 (2022 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 43,955,181 (2023)

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 49,892,180 (2022 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 17 October 1986 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 64 out of 500 (12.8%) in the National Assembly and 26 out of 109 (23.9%) in the Senate 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.479, Low, Rank 179 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 46.9 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Ratified (by accession) 30 September 2015 

• Projected population with a disability: 15,841,634 (2022 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in the DRC: Yes, country office  

• Election FAQs: Yes

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 10 resources