The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) started a path towards democracy following an extremely volatile period from 1997 until 2003. With a legacy of autocratic government under one party the DRC was highly centralized when the transition period started. The country is divided into 11 provinces including the capital of Kinshasa with a special communal status. Officials are appointed by and are responsible to the central government and ultimately the president. Further subdivisions such as the 37 sub-regions and 134 zones which contain both urban localities and rural collectivities (often corresponding with traditional chiefdoms) have minimal legislated responsibilities or practical functions. The new Constitution of 2005 provided for a new division of the country that would re-divide the old 11 provinces to 26 new ones. However due to a lack of funding this restructuring planned for May 2010 was never executed and postponed indefinitely. Local elections are planned tentatively for 2012, after an earlier postponement in 2008, and are constitutionally valid for a five years period.
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In addition to the planned provincial restructuring, the Constitution of the DRC of 2005 provided for a comprehensive analysis of communities to gain insight in the status of local government. Based on this analysis localities would be allocated with responsibilities in the fields of water- and waste management, sanitation, health and infrastructure. Localities however often lack funding, experienced staff or are perceived as inefficient and can hardly deliver on set expectations. Furthermore in order to strengthen localities in the process of decentralization, a high degree of cooperation is necessary between the Ministry of Interior, Decentralization and Homeland Security and other ministries responsible for specific themes such as agriculture and civil service.
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Projects supporting local government and its goals are provided for a large part by external organizations focusing on health, social services, public administration and law. National government is predominantly occupied with persisting security challenges across the country.
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