Western diplomats pressure Congo's Kabila to end election law standoff

Joseph Kabila Kabange, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 25, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Western diplomats met Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila on Saturday in a bid to persuade him to drop plans for amending the country's electoral law, officials said, after the measure drew violent protests earlier this week.

Under Kabila's proposed law, a national census would have to be completed before the next presidential elections, expected in 2016. The government argues a census is long overdue and would allow better management of the country.