Marie Josée IFOKU: The first female candidate for the presidential election in the DRC
The electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo comes to life with the registration of the candidacy of Marie Josée IFOKU, President of the Alliance of Elites for a New Congo (AENC), for the presidential election to be held on December 20, 2023 This announcement makes her the first female candidate to enter the race for the highest office in the country.
When submitting her candidacy to the Application Reception and Processing Office (BRTC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Marie Josée IFOKU was received by the President of the CENI, Denis KADIMA KAZADI. The latter discussed with her the current electoral process and the importance of ensuring transparent and legitimate elections for the Congolese population.
Marie Josée IFOKU, bearer of the political ideology of ‘kombolization’, took advantage of this opportunity to present her vision of breaking with the system of predation that has been rife in the DRC since independence. She insists that the Congolese people must not only choose a person because of their gender, but rather a political vision that would put an end to the anti-values and bad practices that have hindered the development of the country.
‘Kombolization’, a concept put forward by Marie Josée IFOKU, is described as a movement to clean up anti-values and fight against predation. She believes that the Congolese population has been considered prey for too long by the country’s successive leaders. Her vision of kombolization is based on five points which she will detail later.
During her interview with the President of the CENI, Marie Josée IFOKU expressed her confidence in Denis KADIMA KAZADI and underlined the importance of a strong and transparent CENI for credible elections. She even symbolically offered her ballet to the President of the CENI, thus testifying to her desire to contribute to the improvement of the electoral process and to put an end to the legitimacy crises which punctuated previous electoral cycles.
The candidacy of Marie Josée IFOKU for the presidential election in the DRC marks an important turning point in the political history of the country. His vision of kombolization and his commitment to putting an end to predation and anti-values arouse interest and open new perspectives for the future of the DRC.
It now remains to be seen how his candidacy will be perceived by the Congolese population and what its impact will be on the political landscape during this crucial election in December 2023.