That the Senate—
expresses concern with respect to the failure of the DRC to take actions required to hold elections in November 2016 as required by the Constitution of the DRC;
recognizes that impunity and lack of effective rule of law undermine democracy, and that the arrest and detention of civil society activists and the harassment of political opponents close political space and repress peaceful dissent;
reaffirms its support for democracy and good governance in sub-Saharan Africa;
calls on the Government of the DRC and all other parties to respect the Constitution of the DRC and to ensure a free, open, peaceful, and democratic transition of power as constitutionally required;
urges the Government of the DRC to demonstrate leadership and commitment to elections by accelerating concrete steps towards holding elections, including voter registration and protecting partisan political speech and activities;
encourages the Government of the DRC and all other relevant parties to engage now in a focused, urgent discussion to advance the electoral process and reach consensus rapidly on the way forward by establishing a detailed electoral calendar for all elections and enabling the candidate selection and campaign process; and
urges the President of the United States, in close coordination with regional and international partners, to—
continuously verify that such necessary technical dialogue occurs and proceeds in a time and manner required to ensure the conduct of timely elections;
use appropriate means to ensure these objectives, which may include imposition of additional targeted sanctions on individuals or entities responsible for violence and human rights violations and undermining democratic processes in the DRC at any point in the process; and
continue United States policy with respect to providing support for the organizing of free, fair, and peaceful national elections.