DR Congo election 2023: What you need to know

Nearly 40 million Congolese voters go to the polls for the next presidential election on 20 December with President Félix Tshisekedi seeking a second, and final, five-year term in office.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Spanning an area the size of Western Europe with an estimated population of over 100 million people, the country is rich in natural resources.

Despite some calls for the election to be postponed, the head of the electoral commission is confident that everything will be ready in time.

Why does this election matter?

It holds 70% of the world's reserves of coltan, a highly-prized mineral used to make mobile phones, plus 30% of the world's diamonds and large quantities of cobalt, copper and bauxite.

Although its vast mineral wealth and huge population represent huge economic assets, life in DR Congo is not improving for most people for a number of reasons, such as conflict, corruption and many decades of poor governance dating back to the colonial era.

Eastern DR Congo, where most of the mineral wealth lies, has been ravaged by conflict for three decades.

It is impossible to know how many lives have been lost - a 2008 study by the International Rescue Committee estimated that about 5.4 million people may have died, mostly from hunger and disease, making it the deadliest since World War Two. However, other studies have cast doubt on the accuracy of this figure.

After years of political instability and coups d'état, DR Congo is organising elections for the first time since the peaceful transfer of power between former President Joseph Kabila and Mr Tshisekedi in 2019.

Who are the candidates?

Following the withdrawal of four candidates, including former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo, there are now 22 presidential candidates, including Mr Tshisekedi.

His main challengers are:

• Martin Fayulu, the man believed by many observers to have been the rightful winner of the 2018 presidential election, even though he came second according to official results.

• Moïse Katumbi, a wealthy businessman and former governor of Katanga province, as well as the owner of the TP Mazembe football team

• Dr Denis Mukwege, the winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with rape survivors.

The four candidates who have withdrawn have all thrown their support behind Mr Katumbi and his "Together for the Republic" party.

Still in the running are another former Prime Minister, Adolphe Muzito, MP Delly Sesanga, activist Floribert Anzuluni and Constant Mutamba.

There are only two women in the race: Marie-Josée Ifoku Mputa, a presidential candidate in December 2018, and Joëlle Bile. The latter describes herself as the candidate representing hope for women and young people.

Running for election is not cheap.

All candidates had to pay 160 million Congolese francs to participate ($60,000; £47,000) in non-refundable application fees.

However, this is less than the previous election, when the fee was $100,000.

The voting system

Whichever candidate gains the most votes in the first round becomes the next president, whether or not they have more than 50%. So there is no second round run-off.