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Hope rises as Kabila fails to put himself up to contest December polls
By Nsikan Ikpe
A mixture of relief and concern is in the air in the Democratic of Congo following the ruling party’s declining on Wednesday to send in the name of President Joseph Kabila as its candidate for the long-delayed forthcoming presidential polls.
In his place, the party has named 57-year old Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former minister of interior, former Governor of Maniema Province as its choice for the crucial December polls.
Underscoring that this is indeed Kabila’s thinking at the moment, news of the nomination of Shadary was confirmed by information minister, Lambert Mende.
Kabila has been in power since 2001 and the constitution bars from seeking a third term in office.
His second term had lapsed since 2016 and he has continued to rule since then outside of the express stipulations of the constitution even as the country has been mired in a debilitating political logjam.
Notwithstanding the failure of Kabila to put himself up on the ballot once again, there are however concerns as to the potential fairness of the forthcoming contest given the President’s near-absolute control of the security and electoral mechanisms in the nation.
In addition, there are equally fears over the continued persecution of political opponents and long-time presidential hopefuls such as Jean Pierre Bemba and Katumbi as well as the future of Kabila himself.
President Joseph Kabila of the DRC
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