Millionth voter registered in Kinshasa, UN mission in DR of Congo says

A law student at the University of Kinshasa has become the millionth voter to register in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) capital city of several million people for elections in the country emerging from conflict.

The United Nations Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) today identified the female student as Mamitsho Ngodia Mvita, while the president of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Abbot Apollinaire Malu Malu, seized the opportunity to rally the Congolese in favour of registering.

The IEC has opened 946 voter registration offices since the exercise began on 20 June in preparation for the elections.

The Security Council noted the joint decision last month by the two Houses of the DRC Parliament "to extend for a period of six months, renewable once, the transitional period that was to expire on 30 June 2005." Under the terms of the 2002 Global and All-Inclusive Agreement, the transition could be extended for two six-month periods if technical preparations for the elections were delayed.