Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo head to the polls on 30 July to elect a president and parliament in what they hope will be the country's first fully democratic vote since independence.

The BBC News website is inviting readers around the world to put their questions to local people at Zambia market in Lubumbashi, the country's second city and capital of the mineral-rich Katanga province, as they prepare for the polls.

Click on the links below to read more about the voters.

Kitenge Ramazani Ellene Mwepu Chinabu Jose Viviane Mwepu Longwa

Joseph Emmanuel Ikos Rukal Diyal Demaman Emery Kon Schadrac Kahilu

I live near Zambia's market but work in the mines about 3km away.

I dig for copper and cobalt.

We dig straight down for 15 metres, then we dig horizontal tunnels, using pick-axes and shovels. It is really hard work and we really suffer but there is no other work here.

The pay is OK, I can look after my wife and five children.

I came to Lubumbashi when my town of Kongolo in north Katanga was attacked by rebels in 1999.

I managed to flee here with my wife, children and my brother but I left my parents and other brothers and sisters behind.

I know they are alive but I am not able to see them or even talk to them, which is really hard. It would cost at least $50 (�27) to go and see them by train and I cannot afford that.

I am really excited about voting - I have never voted before.

I hope the elections will make our lives better in Congo.

I sell pieces of cloth and children's clothes in the market.

Some days I sell a lot and earn a reasonable amount of money but other days I don't sell anything.

I have been doing this for 15 years. I went to school for six years but I stopped when my parents got divorced.

My husband is self-employed, buying and selling minerals. His income is also unpredictable, sometimes he does well, other times not.

I hope the elections will change Congo.

My husband is educated. I hope that after the elections, things will get better and he will be able to find a job.

I used to be a farmer but started making and selling charcoal three years ago.

I earn much more money doing this, even if it is hard work.

You get very hot and you need to eat a lot of food to have the strength to make charcoal.

It takes about a week - first we cut the trees down, then we put the wood in a big oven and burn it for two days.

Then I bring it to the market to sell. I carry two big bags of charcoal on my bike for about 25km until I reach Zambia market.

I am really looking forward to the elections.

I hope that when we have a new government, it will stop prices rising and bring peace.

I live near Zambia market, so this is where I come to do my shopping - it is cheaper than other markets in Lubumbashi.

I have worked in villages here in Katanga and in the neighbouring province of Kasai.

I have seen that being sick is not just about having a disease, people need more money so they don't become sick.

The biggest problem in Congo is that after the war, our state hospitals have been neglected and ruined. They need to be rebuilt and re-equipped, so all Congolese people get be given good health care.

I am a candidate for a new party, the Movement for Social Renewal (MSR), which was formed out of a local women's development association so some of us could contest the elections.

But we don't have much money, so we have not done much campaigning.

We have not called a big rally, as then we would have to pay the people who turn up. So I have relied on word-of-mouth to campaign.

People know I have helped them a lot from being a nurse and from our group, so I am sure they will vote for me.

There are 347 candidates going for 11 seats in Lubumbashi but I am confident I will be one of the 11.

I was laid off in 2004 as part of a restructuring programme, after working for Gecamines for 30 years.

Since then, I have written a book about Gecamines, called Culture and Civilisation, because the company did so much for our region, Katanga and the whole of Congo.

It used to pay 70% of the national budget and had an annual turnover of $1bn, employing some 30,000 people here in Katanga. But from 1990, we had political problems and Gecamines was poorly managed.

Now it is being split up and sold off into lots of small companies and the whole region is suffering.

Those small companies do not have the same regional impact, they do not like hospitals and schools like Gecamines used to.

Now our mineral wealth is being exploited by foreigners and we are not seeing the benefit.

I have not heard from my son, Patrick Ikos Mwangal, for eight years.

He was a law student at Lubumbashi University, when the forces of President Laurent Kabila encouraged students to join the army.

He did not ask my permission but went and joined up. After a year's training, war broke out again in 1998 and he was sent to the front line.

I have not heard from him since.

I have phoned the military authorities in Kinshasa to ask where he is - they tell me he is fine and will soon return home but I do not believe them.

If that is the case, why has he not called me?

After the elections I hope to travel in person to Kinshasa to find out where he is, whether he is alive or dead.

I feel humiliated that my country cannot tell me where my son is.

I sell sugar cane, maize and sweet potatoes in Zambia market.

I went to school for four years but left when I was 10.

My father lost his job as a butcher and my mother fell ill.

Now my earning supports them both, as well as my baby brother. My three sisters and another brother have gone to live with other relatives as we cannot afford to look after them.

My mum is better now but the doctor said she should not do heavy work, and must stay out of the sun, so she still cannot work in the market like she used to.

I would like to go back to school and eventually become a doctor.

I would love to vote in the elections but I am too young - you have to be 18. Hopefully, I can vote next time.

I hope that voting will improve our economy and my dad will be able to get a job.

Teachers in Congo work in very difficult conditions.

We are not paid enough to let us concentrate on our work. I would like to do research on the internet to keep up to date with new discoveries and theories about history. But I cannot afford to.

I used to work in a public school but I moved to a private school which gets some help from abroad and the pay is better.

The biggest class I teach has 55 children. Some of my colleagues have up to 120 children in a class.

In that class, there is not a single course book for the children to use.

It is very difficult to teach without any books - teachers are seen as Gods, who can do anything.

My school is in a poor area, so we give the pupils a meal each day to encourage them to come to school.

I hope the elections will bring a new system of government.

I know that this election will not be perfect.

It is like a child learning to walk - he will fall down sometimes but he will learn from his errors.

I hope the new government will end the corruption and looting.

We see our minerals being dug up and taken away but we do not see the benefit.

We also badly need new roads. Just 100-200km from here, there are so many oranges, lemons and cassava growing that you would not believe. But there is no way of getting it to a market, so people can earn money.

I often come to Zambia market just to walk around and see how people live. It is a great place to come.