Former Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila has expressed firm opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment that could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to extend his tenure in office for a third term.
Breaking his silence on the matter, which made headlines last month when President Tshisekedi signaled openness to a scenario that could lead to a third term through constitutional revision and even a potential postponement of elections, Kabila said the proposal, which he described as an attempt at the “Sudanization” of the country, undermines the social contract and must be challenged by all, regardless of religious, political, or other affiliations.
“Faced with the government's decision to change the Constitution, despite the undeniable risks this poses to the country, I must therefore remind everyone that Article 64, paragraph one of our Constitution stipulates that every Congolese citizen has the duty to resist any individual or group of individuals who exercise power in violation of the Constitution. This is not merely a right. It is a patriotic duty,” he said in a statement.
While expressing openness to the amendments, President Tshisekedi, whose term ends in 2028, added that elections may not be held on schedule due to conflict in the country’s eastern region.
"I have not asked for a third term, but I tell you this: If the people want me to have a third term, I will accept," he said in early May during a press conference in Kinshasa.
In the statement, Kabila agreed that the state of the country is concerning, saying it is not only worrying but constantly deteriorating, and that he had submitted proposals aimed at changing the situation.
“I have not always been heard, much less understood, by those for whom personal or partisan interest takes precedence over the general interest, striving to use every technique of mass manipulation to distort my words, twist their meaning, and thus conceal from the people the true nature and negative consequences of their policies, the root cause of the ills from which the country suffers. Fortunately, and as the Scriptures teach us, 'there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, or secret that will not be made known.' Today, the facts speak for themselves,” he added.
On June 9, the National Assembly passed a bill to organise referendum legislation pivotal to any constitutional revision. The vote took place without opposition lawmakers, who have boycotted parliament for weeks in protest against the initiative.
Kabila said that through the adoption of the referendum law in the National Assembly, the government has removed all ambiguity about its true intentions on amending the Constitution.
“These are therefore not allegations, rumours, or suppositions. Nor are they accusations made by the opposition to discredit the regime, as was the case in 2015 and 2016. Rather, we are faced with a deliberate political choice, claimed and publicly defended by those who wield power,” he said.
He described the move as President Tshisekedi’s blatant betrayal of the constitutional oath he took.
“A decisive step has just been taken towards the consolidation of tyranny and the establishment of power without foreseeable limits or any credible prospect of democratic political change,” he added.
He called on the Congolese not to be “complicit in what constitutes a true conspiracy against the Nation”.
“I urge every one of you to massively support all initiatives and actively participate in all actions, announced or to be announced, by the political and social forces committed to defending the Constitution and our democratic gains, the inalienable fruit of enormous sacrifices made by our people over many years,” said Kabila.
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