Congo parliament passes election law stripped of census requirement

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's parliament gave final approval on Sunday to an electoral law shorn of a controversial provision that risked delaying a vote due in 2016 and triggered days of deadly protests. Last weekend, the lower house passed the law with a measure ordering a national census before the next presidential election. Critics of President Joseph Kabila said it was intended to delay the vote and allow him to stay in power. This sparked days of protests that killed dozens. Diplomats called on Congo's government and lawmakers to drop the demand for a census, which could take years to complete in the country, which is home to over 60 million and lacks basic infrastructure. The second vote in the National Assembly on Sunday came after the Senate had proposed a version of the law that yielded to demands of the street and diplomats. Kabila, who is due to step down in 2016 having won elections in 2006 and 2011, now has 30 days to sign it into law.