KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- If things continue on their current path, elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo could lead to bloodshed, an election monitor said.
The U.N. Security Council called on the DRC government to ensure the Nov. 28 election is open to the media and affords all participants with the opportunity for constructive political debate.
Recent DRC conflicts were linked to tensions between incumbent President Joseph Kabila's People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress.
Jerome Bonso, chairman of the National League for Free and Fair Elections, warned the DRC could descend into violence if the election goes poorly.
"If things remain as they are -- without dialogue between the electoral commission and political parties over the electoral process, as well as between the commission and civil society and the international community -- and elections go on as planned, the result could be violence," he told the United Nations' humanitarian news agency IRIN.
DRC police in September used tear gas to disperse opposition supporters marching on an electoral commission building.
The DRC had general elections in 2006, the first in more than 40 years. Second elections are seen as a way to make or break emerging democracies.
