Title: The long-awaited results of the legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): what implications for President Tshisekedi?
Introduction :
While the victory of outgoing President Félix Tshisekedi has been officially confirmed by the Constitutional Court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the wait for the results of the national legislative elections continues. These results, which were initially scheduled for January 3, 2024, give rise to much speculation as to the composition of the Congolese Parliament and the room for maneuver available to the re-elected president. In this article, we will explore the challenges of the legislative elections in the DRC and their potential impact on the next political majority.
The Congolese political system and the need for coalitions:
In the Congolese political system, no party is generally able to govern alone and obtain a majority of the 251 parliamentary seats. It is therefore essential to form coalitions to gain power. The Sacred Union of the Nation supported the candidacy of President Tshisekedi, but the different member parties of this coalition are running independently in the legislative elections. Thus, the composition of Parliament will depend on the political weight of each party and its ability to obtain elected representatives.
Party leaders vying for positions of responsibility:
The distribution of key positions, such as the Prime Minister’s Office, the presidency of the National Assembly and the Senate, will depend on the political dynamics that emerge from the results of the legislative elections. Several party leaders have the opportunity to play a decisive role in forming the next majority. Among them, Jean-Pierre Bemba of the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC), Vital Kamerhe of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) and Modeste Bahati of the Alliance of Democratic Forces of Congo (AFDC).
The impact of the representativeness threshold on the results:
Another determining factor in these legislative elections is the threshold of representativeness that the parties must reach to validate their lists. Indeed, a list must obtain more than 1% of the votes cast to be considered valid. This means that a party or group can have several elected officials, but if it does not exceed the symbolic bar of just over 179,000 votes across the entire territory, these elected officials will be eliminated. This constraint makes the communication of opposition parties delicate, while they await the results to decide on their participation in the next legislature.
Conclusion :
The results of the legislative elections in the DRC are still awaited, giving clues about the composition of the Congolese Parliament and President Tshisekedi’s room for maneuver. The formation of political coalitions and reaching the threshold of representativeness are crucial issues which will determine the future majority and the distribution of positions of responsibility. During this waiting period, the political-institutional future of the DRC remains uncertain, but once these results are known, the country will be able to move forward in consolidating its democracy.