Joseph Kabila has been President of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 after succeeding his father Laurent.
His father was assassinated and young Joseph had to take over as President. He has since then refused to go. Last week it was revealed that President Kabila will not be participating in upcoming elections.
Kabila’s second term officially ended in 2016 but he refuses to stepdown sparking violence and delayed elections.
The country’s prime minister, Bruno Tshibala said Kabila will not run, which is good news for many.
Why is Kabila not running?
Tshibala said President Kabila is not eligible constitutionally to seek a third term and that he will respect the constitution.
“The elections are going to take place without the participation of President Kabila who will abide by the spirit and the letter of the constitution,” Tshibala is quoted as saying.
But there are signals Congo’s parliament, might hold a special session to consider a legal protection for former presidents. That will surely cover Kabila.
Why a legal protection for former presidents?
There are indications President Kabila has refused to stepdown for fear of prosecution. The latest reports of a legal protection is seen as key in getting him to exit power.
The lower house speaker Aubin Minaku told deputies last week that “At the request of the president of the republic, an extraordinary session will be convened”
“We will examine several items including the law on the status of former chiefs of state, the designation of a new member of the constitutional court and the law on the tax to promote industry,” he said.
It appears everything is being done to ensure that Joseph Kabila exits power to end the violence reactions to his continues stay in power.
December elections
December’s elections will be crucial for DR Congo as tensions are high with opposition figures accusing Kabila of wanting to prolong his stay in power.
He is yet to declare publicly that he won’t run again despite appeals for him to do so.
Last month the United Nations asked DRC to lift current ban on demonstrations and for the government to relax its stance on protests.
The government under Joseph Kabila imposed the ban ahead of elections.
Source: Africafeeds.com
