News of June 28, 2023: The MLC, between Sacred Union and opposition
The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing for the next presidential election scheduled in six months. While the majority of political parties supporting President Félix Tshisekedi already claim to be “tshisekedists” and promise to support him in these elections, Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Mouvement de Liberation du Congo (MLC) is still undecided.
MLC secretary general Eve Bazaiba said in an interview that the party would decide at its congress which candidate to support. It does not exclude the possibility that the MLC presents a candidate other than the outgoing president. This ambiguous position of the MLC suggests a certain uncertainty as to its support for Felix Tshisekedi.
Although part of the Sacred Union, it is possible that some political parties decide to leave this coalition and join the opposition if the re-election of the president does not seem assured.
Eve Bazaiba’s statements suggest that the MLC maintains an ambivalent position six months before the elections. It seems that Jean-Pierre Bemba maintains links with the opposition and could decide not to support the head of state in the next elections.
It is important to note that the MLC also expresses reservations regarding Félix Tshisekedi’s governance policy. Eve Bazaiba recalled that in the December 2018 elections, the party was shocked by the results which declared Tshisekedi as the winner, when they thought they had won.
In short, the vague positions of the MLC six months before the presidential elections suggest that Jean-Pierre Bemba retains links with the opposition and that he could decide not to support the outgoing president. The political future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo therefore remains uncertain, with political formations ready to switch sides depending on the electoral results.