Authorities in DR Congo unveiled an electronic voting machine that will be used in key elections this year, despite accusations that the technology could skew the outcome. The Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni) showed off the machine to reporters, saying it was essential for conducting presidential, legislative and local elections due on December 23. “It’s not a cheating machine (but) a machine to simplify… (and) reduce costs,” said Jean-Pierre Kalamba, Ceni’s rapporteur. … Tension, marked by protests that have met with a bloody crackdown, is mounting.
The opposition has rejected use of the voting machines, and the church has called on Ceni to “lift suspicions” about them by “accepting certification by national and international experts.”
The United States, meanwhile, has said voting machines could undermine the credibility of the polls.
“These elections must be held by paper ballot so there is no question by the Congolese people about the result,” Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, said on February 13.
Full Article: DRC pushes ahead with electronic voting despite criticism – Daily Nation.