Political tensions continue to escalate in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the opposition does not recognize the electoral calendar established by the electoral commission (CENI). Indeed, the electoral commission is struggling to convince the Congolese political parties, particularly the opposition, which suspects it of wanting to keep President Félix Tshisekedi in power.
On Thursday, May 25, Congolese opponents staged a sit-in outside the CENI headquarters to denounce what they believe was an attempt at electoral fraud. The protesters, including Martin Fayulu, Delly Sesanga, Augustin Matata Ponyo and Moïse Katumbi, have rejected the CENI electoral register and believe that the electoral process is extremely chaotic.
The opposition protest was accompanied by a police crackdown, with provincial authorities in Kinshasa banning the sit-in. The demonstrators were prevented by the police from accessing the CENI headquarters. Faced with this tense situation, Delly Sesanga, president of the political party Envol, called for a reappropriation of the electoral process by the Congolese.
However, the challenge is not limited to the opposition. Indeed, Congolese civil society, human rights organizations as well as political actors in power also reject the electoral calendar established by the CENI. The electoral register itself is called into question by some.
In this atmosphere of mistrust, President Félix Tshisekedi traveled to China to renegotiate the contract of the century. This initiative has raised questions from the opposition, which accuses the president of neglecting electoral issues for the benefit of his personal interests.
In this context of tensions, the actors of Congolese political life must redouble their efforts to guarantee the transparency of the electoral process, promote dialogue and reconciliation between the various actors and avoid any instrumentalization of the dispute for political ends.