On November 28, 2011, the presidential election of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was being held. The two major presidential candidates were the incumbent Joseph Kabila and Etienne Tshisekedi, but there were nine other contenders. The election was only the second time citizens of the country were able to vote for a president.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has been overseeing the election process. MONUSCO has been doing peacekeeping operations in the country since 2010 when it took over operations from the previous peacekeeping force sent by the United Nations.

The First Congo War began after conflict from neighboring Rwanda spilled over into the country, which was at that time known as Zaire. The first war ended in 1997, but the Second Congo War began one year later. The second war was the biggest war in modern Africa and is considered the most deadly conflict since World War II. It involved eight African countries and several armed groups. In 2003, the war was ended with the creation of a transitional government, but there is still conflict in many areas.

Joseph Kabila first came to power after the assassination of his father, Laurent Désiré Kabila, in 2001. An attempted coup took place in Kinshasa in 2003; the plotters of the coup were defeated in 2004. Joseph Kabila won the country’s first postwar election in 2006. Etienne Tshisekedi is a co-founder of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UPDS); he currently leads the UPDS.

Many expect elections to result in increased levels of violence, especially in Kinshasa. Kinshasa is the country’s capital and one of its most populous cities. There is a chance that election results will be disputed regardless of who wins. If there is a dispute of the election, it will be mediated by the Chairman of the Independent National Election Commission, Daniel Ngoy Mulunda.