Smudged ID cards, missing names blemish Congo's $1 billion election

Stephanie Mbafumoja, a Congolese law student holds her voter identity card in L'avenue de L'itav in Butembo, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 9, 2024. REUTERS/Yassin Kombi

(Reuters) - Congolese law student Stephanie Mbafumoja was exhilarated to sit for the photo for a voter identity card that would allow her, for the first time, to have a say in the future of her nation.

The 23-year-old’s enthusiasm soured when she was handed a card bearing a distorted image she said looked nothing like her. Within a few weeks, the printed text on the card began to fade.