In the wake of opposition reactions calling for the cancellation of the elections, Constant Mutamba, Republican opposition candidate for President of the Republic, spoke at a press conference this Sunday, January 7. Unlike his radical opposition colleagues, Mutamba does not support the cancellation of the elections. According to him, the electoral commission cannot reverse the results at this stage.
He congratulated the president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Kadima, for the work he has done at the head of the institution. Mutamba said: “If you oppose the election results, you cannot force everyone to disapprove of the December 20 vote. The Republican opposition strongly congratulates President Kadima for the work carried out at the head of the CENI” .
Mutamba also denounced the attempts at blackmail and disinformation of which he was the victim from other members of the opposition. He claims to have received financial offers to withdraw from the race and attempts to recruit within the M23 terrorist movement. He also transmitted this information to the security services for investigation.
The Republican opposition candidate also addressed the issue of the 82 candidates invalidated by the CENI. He called on the justice system to investigate cases of fraud and severely punish those responsible. He also declared that he was dissociating himself from a progressive dynamic candidate who was invalidated for fraud.
Finally, Mutamba praised the innovative methods of the CENI, in particular the publication of partial results of the presidential election constituency by constituency. According to him, this method allows each candidate to evaluate their political roots throughout the territory.
With his nuanced position and his refusal of political maneuvers, Constant Mutamba stands out from the radical opposition and affirms his confidence in the current electoral process. It remains to be seen what happens next and whether this position will have an impact on the conduct of the elections.