CENI, the National Independent Electoral Commission of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has awarded digital security firm Gemalto an international tender to help the electoral body compile a biometric register and to conduct the elections
Under the contract, Gemalto will supply 22,000 mobile biometric voter enrolment kits to support the country’s national voter register. The kits will support more than 18,000 enrolment centres to capture a detailed and updated national voter register through the acquisition of photographs, fingerprints and signatures of citizens as well as issue them personalised voter cards for the upcoming polls. CENI expects to enrol up to 45mn voters in this initiative.
Gemalto’s portable ‘Coesys Mobile Enrolment’ stations feature a ruggedised, suitcase-style design and can be deployed virtually anywhere across the country. CENI will use the Coesys Mobile Enrollment stations to ensure efficient and quality acquisition of voter’s data as well as clean and update existing records in the national voter register ahead of the elections. In particular, the use of irrefutable biometric data will help identify and eliminate duplicates, the company said in a press statement.
Gemalto will also train CENI operators and provide maintenance and support during the entire registration project.
“Our secure mobile enrolment solution will enable CENI to establish a reliable and respected voter registry, based on indisputable biometric data, and provide all the flexibility required to set up a voter registration bureau all across the country,” said Gemalto executive vice president for government programmes Frederic Trojani. “Above all else, it provides DR Congo with a trusted foundation towards free, fair and transparent elections.”
