The political news in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in this month of June 2023, is marked by the return of former President Joseph Kabila to the public scene. After months of silence, Joseph Kabila recently gathered his supporters and announced that he would soon address the Congolese.
This return is seen as a strong signal from the former president who is seeking to impose his influence in the home stretch ahead of the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 20th December next. Joseph Kabila remains a major figure on the Congolese political scene, at the head of the Common Front for Congo (FCC), and maintains a base of loyal supporters.
But this return of Joseph Kabila is not trivial. The former President of the Republic is seeking to influence the ongoing electoral process and assert his position in an attempt to impose his strategy. Like other opponents of the Félix Tshisekedi regime, Joseph Kabila points to the corruption of the Constitutional Court as well as the need for a reform of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). He called on his people not to register on the electoral lists, thus refusing the electoral file built in a hurry and “audited” by the friends of the president of the CENI.
Joseph Kabila is the only opponent to advocate a boycott of the elections so far, but others could join him soon. National and international observers already widely reject the results of this election which appears to be completely biased. The political situation is therefore ever more tense in the DRC, with a logic of confrontation that bears a striking resemblance to the 2018 election.
The chaotic management of power since the advent of Félix Tshisekedi has prompted some Congolese to look more benevolently at Joseph Kabila, despite his liabilities and his responsibility in the accession to power of the current President of the Republic. The Congolese people are in search of change and hope that the future of the country can take shape in better conditions, without corruption and without attacking the Constitution.
This unstable political situation also has repercussions on the daily life of the Congolese, who suffer the consequences of rising urban crime, deadly floods and forced displacement of populations under the influence of militias. These tragedies come on top of the economic and social difficulties that the country is going through, and which remind us of the urgency of a real development policy for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To find out more about current events in the DRC, you can consult the various articles on our blog fatshimetrie.org