DR Congo: Constitutional Revision Divides

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi has ended a three-nation-European tour aimed at meeting decision-makers and the diaspora. The tour that took him to Germany, France and Belgium rounded-off with a press conference in Brussels on May 3, 2024. During the press conference, the Congolese President after announcing the creation in the days ahead of a Constitutional Revision Committee, said he wanted a Constitution “worthy of our country”.  He added that the main objective of the Committee would be to reflect on a new constitution for the country. The decision which comes almost five months after the general elections and four years from the end of the President's second and final term, has been highly criticized. 
The opposition and civil society have condemned with strong terms the decision. To them, the priority of the Congolese people now is security and not a modification of the Constitution. According to them, the main aim behind the President’s proposition for a Constitutional review is to reduce the number of his mandates to zero. Christian Mwando, head of the opposition parliamentary group in the National Assembly, sees it as “an attempt at a third term and that we cannot accept and we will not accept it. This is a complete lack of leadership. Tshisekedi must take his responsibilities for the Republic and not always blame others and the Constitution. The texts are clear, the texts are good. With a majority that is Stalinist, he should have put the country in order and he did not do it. He does not have to accuse anyone or even the Constitution. »
Jean-Claude Katende of the African Association for the Def...