DR Congo Senate clears way for president’s third term push

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The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Senate passed a bill Monday on holding referendums in the country, a step that could enable President Felix Tshisekedi to change the constitution and seek a third term.

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The Senate vote came three days after anti- and pro-Tshisekedi demonstrators clashed at a protest against the government’s plans to change the constitution, which the opposition condemns as a bid by the president to cling to power.

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In office since 2019, Tshisekedi comes to the end of his second — and, under the current constitution, final — five-year term in 2028.

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However, the 63-year-old president said last month he would agree to lead the conflict-plagued country for a third term “if the people wish it” after a referendum on reforming the constitution.

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The bill that passed the Senate, which cleared the lower house earlier this month, is a technical text on the organisation of referendums.

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But it could pave the way for a push to remove the Congolese constitution’s iron-clad two-term limit for presidents.

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The bill now needs a green light from the Constitutional Court, then would go to Tshisekedi to sign.

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The DRC, a vast, impoverished central African country, is battling a deadly Ebola outbreak and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in its eastern region.

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Tshisekedi has consolidated power, and his coalition holds a large majority in parliament.

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The main opposition parties came together last month in a coalition to oppose what they see as the president’s attempt to cling to power.

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Several opposition figures were wounded at Friday’s protest, which erupted into skirmishes with government supporters and police, AFP journalists said.

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No official toll was released, but local rights groups said two bodies had been recovered.

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AFP

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