Politics

Presidential candidates in Congo DR want urgent measures to ‘save’ election

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2023

On Tuesday, candidates in the next presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo called for urgent measures to prevent malpractices in the upcoming voting exercise.

Every opposition candidate has voiced worries about possible electoral fraud and a lack of openness. The candidates, in a joint statement, vowed to resist any manipulation of results and demanded a number of measures from the electoral commission, including the publication of electoral lists and the mapping of polling stations.

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Denis Mukwege, Moise Katumbi, the former governor of the wealthy mining province of Katanga, and Martin Fayulu, the runner-up in the 2018 presidential election, were among the signatories of the statement.

According to the electoral commission, CENI, about 43.9 million voters have been registered for the elections compared to 40.4 million in the previous poll, but the countdown to the election on December 20 has been tense. International partners and human rights organisations have claimed—and the government has refuted—that the authorities are repressing dissent and the right to free speech.

Denis Kadima, president of CENI, met with American representatives in Washington earlier this month as part of a “rebranding” campaign to allay concerns regarding the commission’s prior performance.

“After so much vagueness and lack of seriousness that characterised all the pre-electoral operations…, it is necessary that a few days before the electoral campaign, urgent measures be taken to save the electoral process,” the statement said.

The candidates specifically mentioned the shoddy voter cards that were distributed—they claimed to be inadmissible—and the hold-ups in releasing the voter and polling place lists.

President Felix Tshisekedi is likely to face fierce opposition from Katumbi as he seeks a second term.

Related Topics:Congo DR Elections Featured

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

24 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.