Days after opposition political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo picked a joint presidential candidate for next month’s elections, cracks have already emerged.
Two Congolese opposition leaders on Monday announced that they were pulling out of the deal. This is seen as a major blow to the efforts of the opposition coalition to defeat the ruling party.
Businessman and lawmaker Martin Fayulu was picked over the weekend to represent the opposition coalition in the December presidential election.
Fayulu was be hoping with the support of other opposition parties he could beat the ruling party’s candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari who is President Joseph Kabila’s preferred successor.
But supporters of some of the opposition parties are against Fayulu’s candidature. They held protests in the capital Kinshasa on Monday against his selection.
That has now forced Felix Tshisekedi, a prominent opposition leader and leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress to pull out of the agreement.
This could be disastrous in the opposition’s efforts to be victorious at the polls next month. Already key opposition figures like Jean Pierre Bemba and Moise Katumbi have been prevented from running.
The DR Congo will be going to the polls on December 23, without incumbent President, Joseph Kabila whose tenure has already ended.
President Kabila’s second term officially ended in 2016 but he refused to stepdown sparking violence and delayed elections.
Kabila’s inability to run again could ease tension a little in the Central African country. Joseph Kabila took over as president from his father Laurent who was assassinated in 2001.
DR Congo: Opposition parties pick joint presidential candidate
Source: Africafeeds.com
