DR Congo Leader Félix Tshisekedi Hints at Extending Term and Delaying Polls
He said a referendum would be needed and warned that fighting in the east could delay the 2028 vote.
- On Wednesday, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi told reporters he would accept a third term if the Congolese people approve it via referendum, though he insisted he had not personally sought the extension.
- The 62-year-old leader's remarks follow calls from allies including Sacred Union official Andre Mbata to revise the 2006 constitution, which currently restricts presidents to two terms.
- Former presidential candidate Delly Sesanga warned the move amounts to a "constitutional coup," writing that all democrats must stand against this "slide" toward personalization of power.
- Tshisekedi stated that ongoing conflict in eastern Congo against the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels could force a postponement of the 2028 presidential elections without participation from the two eastern provinces.
- Term-Limit evasion on the continent is linked to higher levels of autocracy, corruption, conflict, and propensity for coups, according to the Washington-based Africa Center's June 2024 report.
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Congo president raises prospect of third term and vote delay, angering opposition
Tshisekedi also said fighting in the east could make it impossible to hold the next presidential vote on time in 2028 - raising the prospect of a delay that could prove equally divisive in the mineral-rich nation which has endured decades of conflict. Congo experienced a prolonged political crisis under former president Joseph Kabila after he delayed elections beyond the end of his mandate in 2016, triggering deadly protests and international …
Félix Tshisekedi no longer excludes a third term and makes the 2028 elections conditional on the security situation in the eastern part of the country, a scenario that already gives rise to warnings from the opposition.
DRC President Félix Tshisekedi hints at third term, 2028 poll delay
Tshisekedi also warned that ongoing conflict in eastern Congo could force a postponement of presidential elections scheduled for 2028. Fighting between Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has intensified in the mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu.
President of Cobalt Giant Congo Weighs Third-Term Referendum
(Bloomberg) — Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said he’s prepared to seek another five years in office if asked to do so after a referendum, highlighting a growing trend of term-limit evasion in Africa.
Eye on Africa - Tshisekedi hints at possible rule beyond second term
In tonight's edition, Félix Tshisekedi says that he would accept a third term “if the people” want it, following a constitutional referendum. Also, a French court orders the resumption of an investigation into accusations that the widow of Rwanda's ex-president Juvenal Habyarimana was involved in the 1994 genocide. And new allegations of secret detentions and abuse are emerging from Burkina Faso, where authorities are accused of holding a promin…
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