It came as a shock to many when Joseph Kabila announced he will not be a candidate during the December elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Many had predicted that the 47-year-old president, in power since 2001, would run for a third term, despite being barred from doing so by the constitution. Kabila’s candidacy was opposed by the US and EU, as well as significant regional actors.
Kabila’s decision not to run in December has cleared the way for what could be Congo’s first democratic transition after decades marked by autocratic rule, coups and rebellions.
A government spokesman said that the little-known Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former interior minister, would be the ruling coalition’s candidate.
Shadary is a Kabila loyalist who was the Interior Minister during violent crackdowns on protesters demonstrating against Kabila’s refusal to step down when his second elected term expired in December 2016. He is also currently under EU sanctions for his involvement in alleged human rights abuses.
The EU imposed sanctions on Ramazani and 15 others for what it said were rights violations and interference in the election process, and is due to vote on whether to renew those sanctions.
Congo’s government says the sanctions are unjustified and illegal — a position backed by the African Union. The Kabila-led administration has maintained their position that the sanction is a “blatant interference” in the electoral process.
The elections are due to be held in December and will pit Shadary against heavyweights such as Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former warlord and vice-president, and Félix Tshisekedi, son of one of the DRC’s most well-known opposition politicians. It is important to note that Bemba, who returned to the DRC after being acquitted of war crimes by the international criminal court, has a powerful support base in the country.
Congo’s government barred Moïse Katumbi, 53, a wealthy businessman and former governor of the province of Katanga, from returning home to file his bid. The multimillionaire faces court cases in DRC on charges that he says are trumped up. He has been on a self-imposed exile in Europe for more than two years.
Kabila took over from his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who was assassinated by a bodyguard in 2001. Kabila has remained in power despite his second term ending in 2016, under a constitutional clause that enables a president to stay in office until a successor is elected.
The DRC, which has significant natural resources, has never known a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960 and some experts fear the December elections will trigger another bloody conflict.
