The previous article highlights a fairly widespread practice during elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the alignment of family members as substitutes by candidates. This practice raises questions about the desire of certain candidates to succeed each other in “family mode” within the National Assembly.
In different constituencies of the country, we see that candidates have chosen their spouses, brothers, sisters, sons or daughters as substitutes. For example, candidate Doug Kulungu lined up his brother and sister as alternates in the Kasongo-Lunda constituency. Similarly, journalist Émile Yimbu chose his wife as the first substitute. He explains this decision by the fact that many people refuse to align themselves with him, not believing in his victory.
This practice of family alignment is also found among candidates for political groups such as the “CODE” group led by Jean-Lucien Bussa Tongba, where the Kinkani brothers hold deputy positions.
Even some members of civil society or of the religious organization “Jehovah’s Witnesses” have entered the race for deputies by lining up members of their family.
This situation has raised criticism and questions about the diversity and impartiality of political representatives. Some believe that this practice is not in keeping with the spirit of democracy and favors the reproduction of power within families rather than the emergence of new voices within the National Assembly.
It is also interesting to note that some candidates who have supported a bill against this practice have themselves been guilty of fielding family members. This is the case of national deputy Delly Sessanga, who had explicitly denounced this practice in the National Assembly, but ended up aligning his younger sister as first substitute.
It should be emphasized that this practice is not illegal according to the electoral law in force in the DRC. However, it raises concerns about the representativeness and independence of national MPs.
In conclusion, family alignment as substitutes in elections in the DRC seems to be a widespread practice and sparks debates on the diversity and impartiality of political representation. Although legal, this practice raises questions about the need to encourage the participation of new voices and promote balanced political representation