Martin Fayulu, a key player on the Congolese political scene, recently announced his candidacy for the 2023 presidential election. This decision comes after a period of uncertainty within the Lamuka political platform, of which Fayulu is the leader.
According to sources close to Fayulu, the decision to run in the election was motivated by the desire to obtain the departure of President Félix Tshisekedi. These sources also affirm that Fayulu wishes to confront Tshisekedi’s cheating intentions by requesting a new audit of the electoral file.
However, some Lamuka members do not agree with Fayulu’s decision to contest the election alone. They believe that their chance to participate in the national, provincial and municipal legislative elections has been destroyed by this decision. They also question Fayulu’s motives and say his election campaign will be meaningless.
Nevertheless, Fayulu remains determined. His communications advisor, Jean Marc Kabunda, underlines that the presence of observers in all voting centers and the publication of results office by office, proposed by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), contributed to the decision-making of go to the elections.
Despite the dissensions within Lamuka, Fayulu is preparing to submit his candidacy file to the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in the coming days.
This decision by Martin Fayulu marks a turning point in Congolese politics and raises questions about the political future of the country. The electoral competition promises to be tense and the stakes are high for the various political actors in the running. The coming months will be decisive for the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo.