DRC elections: SYMOCEL warns that financial delays and political and security uncertainties threaten the 2028 deadline

SYMOCEL warns that the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s constitutionally mandated 2028 elections face risks from operational and financial delays and political uncertainty. Its report on the CENI’s 2025–2029 roadmap says several preparatory activities have missed their deadlines, while voter identification and registration remain crucial. Funding shortages, security challenges and the lack of a sufficiently documented catch-up plan are narrowing the available margin, although the delays are not yet irreversible. SYMOCEL recalls that missed deadlines in 2016–2018 fueled a crisis of confidence and effectively prolonged the political transition, while cautioning that the same outcome is not inevitable.