Addis Ababa, 7 November 2017: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, notes with satisfaction the publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the electoral calendar for the combined Presidential, Legislative and Provincial elections, now scheduled for 23 December 2018. He recalls that the African Union has consistently called for the timely publication of a credible and as consensual as possible electoral calendar, pursuant to the Political Agreement of 31 December 2016.

The Chairperson of the Commission stresses the duty and obligation of the institutions and stakeholders concerned, including the political parties, the civil society and religious leaders, to work together resolutely to ensure that this new calendar is scrupulously adhered to. He also underscores the need to do everything possible to ensure that the planned elections are organised in the requisite conditions of transparency, credibility and regularity, in conformity with the relevant instruments of the African Union, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and of Governance.

The Chairperson of the Commission urges all the political actors to demonstrate a spirit of responsibility and to refrain from any statements or acts likely to heighten tension. He recalls the importance of taking urgent measures to restore confidence between the actors involved and to defuse the political tension, within the spirit of the Political Agreement of 31 December 2016.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the commitment of the African Union, in close cooperation with the appropriate regional organisations, the United Nations and other partners, to accompany and support the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to help the Congo to successfully achieve this democratic milestone, in accordance with its Constitution. To this end, the AU will leave no stone unturned to mobilise the necessary resources from both the Member States and the international community as a whole.