Not sure of the polling: - but as per Wikipedia - the divided oppoistion and corruption may be the issue...
Opinion polling is rare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to poor roads and lack of electricity. Nevertheless, a survey conducted by GeoPoll Socio-Political Barometer in the second quarter of 2023 found that voters expressed significant discontent with the governance under Tshisekedi, assigning him a satisfaction rating of 49.7%. Despite this, the survey also suggested that Tshisekedi would secure a second term thanks in part to perceived improvements, such as his free education initiative, and partly due to a divided opposition.[9][10]
A good article from Reuters on the election issues...(posted below the link)
KINSHASA, Oct 3 (Reuters) - When Felix Tshisekedi took office as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo following a disputed election in 2018, he promised to end decades of political repression and corruption that had stifled development in the Central African country.But as he prepares for a re-election bid in December, rights groups, international allies and rivals accuse his administration of stifling dissent just as previous government's did while he was in opposition.
In recent months, soldiers gunned down anti-U.N. protesters in the eastern city of Goma, and the body of a prominent opposition lawmaker was found in his car. Police have dispersed opposition rallies with tear gas, and at least two journalists have been detained on allegations of spreading fake news.Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are being "severely tested" in Congo, said Jean-Claude Katende, president of the African Association for the Defence of Human Rights (ASADHO).
"Violation of these freedoms will lead to social and political violence and contestation of the results," he told Reuters, referring to potential fallout from the elections to be held on Dec. 20.Patrick Muyaya, Congo's communication minister and government spokesperson, and Tina Salama, the president's spokesperson, both denied accusations that rights and liberties were being curbed in Congo. They did not address the possibility of violence during the electoral period.
Tshisekedi will face a field of opposition candidates that includes Martin Fayulu, whose claim that he won the 2018 presidential election led to post-electoral friction, and Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege.
Still, a disputed election could further destabilise a country already struggling to contain a myriad of armed groups and a rebellion.
Ida Sawyer, crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch, said many Congolese had hoped Tshisekedi's presidency would mark the end of years of repression and the culture of impunity that characterised the government of former President Joseph Kabila.
"Yet as Tshisekedi nears the end of his first term, we see many of the same abusive tactics," she told Reuters. Security forces are "once again being used to suppress dissent".
At least 56 civilians were killed in Goma on Aug. 30, according to the military prosecutor, when soldiers opened fire on demonstrators who were gathering to protest against the presence of U.N. peacekeepers and other foreign forces.
A Congolese colonel has been found guilty of murder and other crimes related to the killings. Three other soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in jail, while two others were acquitted.
The prosecutor handling the case said they were acting in isolation, and described the killings as "not a state action".
Their lawyer Serge Lukanga, told Reuters he will appeal the sentence. He denied the charges and said they did not give an order to open fire nor open fire themselves, and all they did that day was carry out they mission as Republican Guards.
"The president has condemned in the strongest possible terms the abuses committed by the security forces in Goma and elsewhere, stating that these acts and crimes will not go unpunished," Salama said.
and more on the link with Felix's reply under the heading "I AM NOT A DICTATOR"
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