On May 25, Matata Ponyo, Martin Fayulu, Moïse Katumbi and Delly Sessanga, opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took to the streets to protest against what they call “a chaotic electoral process”. . After a march on May 20 which had been strewn with police blunders, the opposition denounced a “dictatorial drift” of the power in place.
The four leaders had planned a sit-in in front of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to denounce the alleged cheating project that the president of this structure would have orchestrated in favor of the President of the Republic Félix Tshisekedi.
Matata Ponyo, former Congolese Prime Minister from April 18, 2012 to December 20, 2016, expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation. He insisted on the strict characteristics linked to the electoral exercises and accused the power in place as well as the team of Dénis Kadima of breaches of these rules. “We said that the elections are not a theater, it is not a folklore, it is an inclusive, transparent, fair and just process”, he declared before adding: ” when this process does not meet any of these conditions, it is quite normal that we can, in the name of the population, demonstrate”.
The Congolese police, for their part, are accused of being unnecessarily violent and of being excessively instrumentalized by the regime in place. The planned sit-in in front of the CENI was notably prevented by barriers erected by the police. This situation prompted the opposition leaders to accuse the authorities of blaming themselves for something. “If today the power, through the excessively instrumentalized police, is not able to leave us just to do a sit-in, it is because the power blames itself for something”, declared Matata Ponyo.
Finally, the Congolese opposition has been more active lately, and is stepping up public demonstrations to make its voice heard. However, for these actions to have a real impact, they must be accompanied by a structured program that would make it possible to propose new solutions for the DRC.