Participants in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s “national
dialogue” agreed on Tuesday, in the absence of the main opposition
coalition, to push back to April 2018 the presidential election due to
take place before the end of the year.
The accord was
announced after the EU threatened sanctions if the country did not hold
elections in 2017, and condemned recent deadly violence between
opponents and supporters of President Joseph Kabila.
According to the report, the
deal, reached during talks in Kinshasa, envisages Kabila remaining in
power until 2018 despite the fact that his mandate is due to end in
December.
Former Togolese prime minister and talks facilitator Edem Kodjo said in a statement that the presidential, legislative and local
elections (will be held) six months after they are convened on October
30, 2017.
Opposition negotiator Vital Kamerhe said: “The presidential election
will take place on April 29, 2018 and the transfer of power from the
outgoing president to the incumbent will take place on May 9.”
Also, the leader of the parliamentary group representing Kabila’s
People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) confirmed the
announcement.
“The election will be held in 2018,” Mr
Ramazani Shadari said, adding that “all the details” of the deal would
be disclosed on Tuesday.
It was gathered that the main opposition coalition —
“Rassemblement” (Gathering) — has boycotted the talks, however,
branding them a ploy by Kabila to stay in power beyond the end of his
term.
Even prior to Monday’s accord, the coalition had
made clear that it would not accept any decisions announced by dialogue
representatives.
This has also called for a general strike on Wednesday across the vast central African nation, to give Kabila a “yellow card”.
Should
the agreement hold, a new government would be set up, with the key post
of prime minister handed to an opposition figure, chief negotiator
Kodjo said.
Protests against Kabila have also seen demonstrators chant down Kodjo — seen as biased towards the president.
Kabila’s
ex-campaign director Kamerhe, who was expelled from the ruling party in
2008 when he was speaker of parliament, is seen as the favourite for
the post.
Furthermore, Political tension has gripped the country since Kabila’s disputed re-election in November 2011.
Also, the
national dialogue began on September 1 between the ruling majority,
representatives of civil society and a minority fringe of the opposition
to try to sketch a way forward.
Later that month more than 50 people died in clashes in the capital Kinshasa as the opposition called on Kabila to step down.
European
Union foreign ministers on Monday explained that the bloc was “deeply concerned
by the political situation (and)... strongly condemns the acts of
extreme violence.”
A “dialogue must lead to the holding
of presidential and legislative elections as soon as possible in 2017”,
a statement said, as the ministers meeting in Luxembourg threatened
sanctions.
According to the statement, “The EU will use all the means at its
disposal, including individual restrictive measures against those
responsible for serious human rights violations, those who promote
violence and those who would try to obstruct a consensual and peaceful
solution to the crisis.”
EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini will now study the issue, it added.
Diplomatic sources disclosed last week that the bloc was looking at people close to Kabila as possible sanctions targets.
Shortly
after the deadly September violence, Washington put two Kabila allies —
army commander Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba and former inspector
of police General John Numbi — on its sanctions blacklist for
undermining democracy.
Kabila first took office in
2001, and in 2006 a new constitutional provision limited the presidency
to a two-term limit which expires in December. Source: Daily Nation
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