DRC Senate backs referendum Bill that could pave way for Tshisekedi’s third term

DRC Senate backs referendum Bill that could pave way for Tshisekedi’s third term

Tensions over the issue have already spilt into DRC streets, with recent protests against the proposed constitutional changes turning violent in Kinshasa last week.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Senate has approved a Bill setting out how referendums are conducted in the country, in a move that could eventually lead to changes to presidential term limits.
Senators in the upper house backed the measure on Monday, with 89 senators voting in favour and 20 abstaining. The proposal had already been passed by the lower house earlier this month and now goes to the Constitutional Court before reaching President Félix Tshisekedi for final approval.
While the Bill mainly deals with how referendums are organised, it carries major political implications. If a referendum is held and leads to constitutional changes, it could clear the way to remove limits that currently restrict presidents to two terms.
Tshisekedi, who has been in office since 2019, is serving his second five-year term and is expected to leave office in 2028. However, he has previously indicated that he would be prepared to seek another term if voters approved the necessary constitutional changes through a referendum.
"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," Tshisekedi said in early May during a press conference in Kinshasa.
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Tensions over the issue have already spilt into DRC streets, with recent protests against the proposed constitutional changes turning violent in Kinshasa last week.
The Friday clashes reportedly began when opposition supporters and pro-government activists clashed outside Parliament before police intervened to disperse the crowds.
No deaths or arrests were immediately reported following the incident; however, videos shared on social media showed some opposition members with visible injuries being helped away by supporters after the unrest.
Former DRC President Joseph Kabila has also raised concerns about the proposed constitutional changes, warning that they could “consolidate tyranny.”
“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 last week.

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