DRC is due to hold its presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections on December 20.
The nation's presidential race will witness at least 20 candidates, among them incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi who took office in 2019 after a disputed election.
Despite the presence of several candidates, only a handful have the funds for nationwide campaigning.
Critics are questioning the nation's preparedness for the December 20 polls while opposition figures have accused the government of stacking the electoral commission, known as the CENI, the Constitutional Court and the final arbitrator in case of electoral disputes.
There are fears the final result will be contested.
The DRC's democracy is relatively new. Its first multiparty election after the 32-year reign of former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko was held in 2006.
Patrick Muyaya, DRC's government spokesperson recently said, "the Congo is in the process of consolidating its democracy."
But beyond politics, the electoral process is also plagued by technical problems.
Voters in the central African nation have been queueing up at the last minute to replace their voter-registration cards.
Prior to their last-minute attempts, voters began registration to be able to cast their ballot between December 2022 and March 2023.
The central African nation does not have I.D. cards, and passports are too costly for most people in the country, so the voter-registration cards are crucial.
But an unidentified number of these cards have since faded almost clean, with most of the writing illegible. Would-be voters have been trying to get replacement cards over the past few weeks.
"I've been here since 9.30 am," said agronomist Gregoire-Dieudonne Kaykolongo, in the mid-afternoon at a CENI branch in the Kinshasa commune of Lingwala.
"I can't vote with a card like this," the 75-year-old said, after showing his current voter card this is wiped almost blank.
The cards are supposed to be delivered free of charge, but there are widespread reports of corrupt agents demanding money for replacements. President Tshisekedi deplored the practice last month.
Still, some people are reassured that something is being done.
In Lingwala, Joseph Mwendanga, who is standing for the national assembly, said he could see that people were working to tackle the issue.
"I was worried, I didn't think there would be elections," Mwendanga said.
Fears of a delayed election — known locally as a "glissement," or "sliding", in French — are also widespread.
However, CENI chairman Denis Kadima has held firm and repeatedly promised that the election will take place on time on December 20.
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