Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the significance of the boycotting by the main opposition parties of the elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo on the grounds of lack of progress in relation to demilitarisation and the requirements of adequate voter registration procedures. [19703/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Presidential and parliamentary elections are now scheduled to take place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 30 July 2006. These will be the first multi-party elections in the DRC since it gained independence in 1960. A total of 33 candidates will contest the presidency, while some 260 political parties and over 9,300 candidates will compete for the 500 legislative seats in the new parliament. Over 25 million people out of an estimated potential electorate of 28 million have registered to vote.

Successfully conducted elections are absolutely critical to the consolidation of peace and security in the DRC and in the Great Lakes region as a whole. The General Affairs and External Relations Council, at its meeting in Brussels on 15 May 2006, welcomed the decision to proceed with the elections on 30 July and reiterated the importance of as inclusive an electoral process as possible, as the best guarantee of future political stability. The Council also made clear that, in its estimation, the conditions have now been created to enable all those who wish to participate fully in the election to do so.

In this light, it is disappointing that the Union Pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS) and its leader, Etienne Tshisekedi, have decided not to participate in the elections. It is essential that all parties in the DRC should respect the verdict of the Congolese people, when delivered on 30 July, and work together subsequently to further national reconciliation and build a more stable and prosperous country. Greater progress in both disarming any remaining unlawful militias in eastern DRC and the building of properly integrated national army and police forces will, in particular, continue to be major priorities for the newly elected President and Government.

The international community, including Ireland and its EU partners, is investing heavily in ensuring that the forthcoming elections are successful, given the major organisational challenge that they represent for a country the size of western Europe with extremely poor basic infrastructure and ongoing security problems. The EU and its Member States are contributing some €235 million towards the overall cost of the elections, which are estimated at well over $300 million. Ireland is allocating some €1.3 million in funding support for the electoral process, including €800,000 to support the role of the South African Independent Electoral Commission in the organisation of the elections. The European Commission has also decided in principle to deploy a 250-strong electoral observation mission, provided security conditions permit. The EU is also deploying, at UN request, the EUFOR RDC mission to provide support, if required, to the UN MONUC peace-keeping mission during the electoral period. The Government has decided to provide up to ten Permanent Defence Force personnel to serve with the EUFOR mission, in addition to the three Irish military personnel already serving with MONUC.