The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is scheduled to hold a referendum Sunday on whether to adopt a proposed constitution aimed at bringing democracy to the war-ravaged central African country.

The referendum is the DRC's first national democratic poll in more than four decades since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The vote, viewed as a crucial step toward ending a transitional government and laying the framework for the construction of a proper democratic government, is expected to take two days, with results due before Christmas.

More than 24 million people have registered to vote in the referendum and the subsequent local, parliamentary and presidential elections, which according to a 2003 peace accord, must be completed by June 2006.

The proposed constitution provides for a decentralized political system with provincial administrations responsible for local decision-making and controlling 40 percent of public funds.

It also limits the president to two terms of five years each, and requires the president to nominate a prime minister from the parliamentary majority.

Successful elections are seen as the key to consolidating peace in the mineral-rich country, which was plagued by decades of war and conflicts since independence, leaving millions dead.

Supporters say the constitution acknowledges reality, but critics fear that decentralization will fuel breakaway sentiment in mineral-rich provinces in the east.

Some also regard the charter as flawed and would give corrupt officials more chances to loot the country's wealth.

Critics of a power-sharing transitional government that includes former rebels have called on voters to reject the constitution or boycott the vote altogether.

On Friday, supporters of the "No" vote clashed with police, while rioters burned the polling stations in schools around Kinshasa with homemade fire-bombs early on Saturday.

If the constitution is rejected, the transitional government will continue to rule the DRC, at least until its mandate ends next June.

Rachel Eklou-Assogbavi, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in the country, told Xinhua that the constitution's legitimacy would be affected if too many voters abstain from casting their ballots.

The United Nations has its biggest peacekeeping force in the DRC, and the electoral process in the country is the largest and most expensive ever assisted by the world body, expected to cost up to 430 million US dollars.

Source: Xinhua