Statement by Ambassador Vassily A. Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council meeting on DR Congo
We have listened attentively — extremely attentively, even — to today’s briefers, and we thank Ms. Leila Zerrougui, Mr. Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, Ms. Fatima Mohammed, Mr. Joseph Malanji, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia, and Monseigneur Utembi for their information.
We have taken note of the Commission électorale nationale indépendante’s publication of the preliminary results of the presidential elections held on 30 December. As we understand it, in accordance with the election law of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the official outcomes of an election must be certified by the Constitutional Court, after which the inauguration of the elected Head of State will take place.
We view the holding of the presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an important step in the gradual normalization of the situation in this major African country, which has been experiencing internal political tensions for several decades, and we hope to see Congolese society making further progress on the path to political and socioeconomic development.
We note that the elections were held peacefully, and we respect Kinshasa’s right to postpone the voting in areas where there are security problems or where the Ebola outbreak has not yet been stamped out. We note the generally positive reports by the regional observer missions from the Southern African Development Community and the African Union.
We agree with the observers’ opinion that the fact that the elections took place is in itself a major victory for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and we commend the efforts of the Government and the Electoral Commission in that regard. In our view, the parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should resolve potential disputes about election issues through legal channels, and we join the Secretary-General in his call to that effect.
We hope that the country’s political actors can display calm, patience and a commitment to exclusively legal and peaceful methods of political expression. We consider any pressure on the country’s judiciary or the Electoral Commission unacceptable. We would like to remind those who have been actively commenting on the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the right to certify election results is the sovereign prerogative of that country’s relevant authorized bodies.
We urge the international community to behave responsibly in that regard and to avoid any interpretations of issues related to the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We believe that at the moment any speculation about the published voting results is not simply inappropriate and a violation of the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo but could have farreaching repercussions for the stability of the country and the entire Great Lakes region.
We hope that during this critical period the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will adhere strictly to its mandate under resolution 2409 (2018). Right now it is especially important to maintain the unity of the Security Council and take a calm and balanced approach to the situation without interfering in the domestic affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in full respect for its sovereignty.
