Kabila against Tshisekedi bid for constitution review

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Nation Media Group

Former President Joseph Kabila broke his silence on the ongoing talk of reviewing the constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But he sees the project as a personal ambition of his successor Felix Tshisekedi.

The former head of state, who has been living outside the country for over a year, met opposition leader Moïse Katumbi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Thursday. Both expressed opposition to constitutional reform in the DRC.

In a joint communiqué, the duo declared that “in the present circumstances, a reform of the constitution is illegal and inappropriate.” For them, the objective behind the project to revise or change the constitution is to cling on to power.

“The ultimate goal is clear to all: the consolidation of dictatorship through a Presidency for life in the DRC,” reads the communiqué.

The two leaders “call on all Congolese to actively resist the current government’s desire to break the republican pact, the fruit of a broad national consensus that has led to the country’s reunification and stability, as well as the re-establishment of democratic institutions.”

In his crusade against changing the constitution, Mr Katumbi has drawn even closer to Kabila. Katumbi, of course, had been an influential member of Kabila’s PPRD party until 2015, before they fell out after Katumbi suspected Kabila would seek a third term beyond the two allowed by the constitution.

In their statement, however, the two leaders expressed fears that the planned constitutional change announced by the head of state will exacerbate divisions within the Congolese population and lead to the “disintegration of the nation.”

Read: Congo mulls law review that could affect Tshisekedi tenure

DRC’s current constitution was enacted in 2006 when Kabila was President. He led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, and is regarded as the architect of this supreme law, whose merit was to complete a peace process that put an end to a major war that had divided the DRC into three parts.

As for President Tshisekedi, he has promised that he will not back down. According to sources close to him, in January 2025, he will set up a panel of experts to review the constitution.

In the current ruling coalition, the Congolese president has registered a major supporter in Jean-Pierre Bemba, the current Deputy Prime Minister in charge of transport. Bemba’s party has already declared their support for the constitutional reform project.