After years of refusing to stepdown, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila has agreed to exit power.
He will not stand for December’s presidential election after the ruling coalition picked a new candidate for the polls.
Kabila’s spokesman, Lambert Mende made the announcement on Wednesday at a news conference.
The new candidate for the Congolese ruling coalition will be former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.
President Kabila’s second term officially ended in 2016 but he refused to stepdown sparking violence and delayed elections.
He has on several occasions refused to publicly declare he won’t run again despite appeals for him to do so.
Joseph Kabila took over as president from his father Laurent who was assassinated in 2001.
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.
Former Vice President, and opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba last week filed his candidacy for December’s presidential election.
He now appears to be the major contender for the elections after he was freed from Prison last month. He spent a decade in prison.
Bemba was held in detention in The Hague on charges of war crimes. But he had his sentence reversed recently as he bids to run for president.
Kabila’s inability to run again could ease tension a little in the Central African country.
Source: Africafeeds.com
