CONGO: Opposition cry foul over web-enabled voting machines

Opposition candidates in this weekend’s presidential election in Democratic Republic of Congo demanded on Tuesday that the electoral board deactivate SIM cards in voting machines to prevent the electronic transmission of results. The opposition are up in arms because active SIM cards could allow the electoral board (CENI) to tabulate the vote electronically, despite repeated […]

Opposition candidates in this weekend’s presidential election in Democratic Republic of Congo demanded on Tuesday that the electoral board deactivate SIM cards in voting machines to prevent the electronic transmission of results.

The opposition are up in arms because active SIM cards could allow the electoral board (CENI) to tabulate the vote electronically, despite repeated assurances the results would be based on hand counts of paper print-outs from the machines.

Seven opposition candidates, including one of the favourites in the race, Martin Fayulu, called on mobile phone operators to deactivate the SIM cards, which the CENI earlier admitted had been fitted in the machines.

At a joint news conference, the group also demanded the CENI “send a letter to these operators ordering them to deactivate these cards”.