{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-eve-of-elections-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo", "Booker Statement on Eve of Elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo", "2023-12-19", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cAs the Congolese people head to the polls, it\u2019s imperative that officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) respect the democratic process, ensure unimpeded access for election observers, provide a timely and transparent tabulation of votes, publish comprehensive data on election results, and refrain from promoting destabilizing rhetoric or actions that could incite violence or undermine the credibility of the electoral process.\n\n\u201cI recognize efforts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to overcome significant logistical and technical challenges in organizing these elections and have been monitoring ongoing concerns related to voter cards and registration. During this next stage of the electoral process, I urge the CENI to commit to maximum transparency so the Congolese people can have full faith in the election results.\n\n\u201cFurthermore, I support the Biden Administration\u2019s stated intent to use all available tools to ensure accountability for anyone who seeks to undermine the democratic process in the DRC.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s critical that the Congolese people are able to exercise one of their most fundamental rights\u2014the right to vote\u2014and the Congolese authorities, including CENI, must work to ensure all Congolese are able to exercise this right, through a fair and transparent process.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-eve-of-elections-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.624502008780837, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}