Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) – The Democratic Republic of Congo opposition, under the umbrella “Let’s Save the DR Congo” has asked President Joseph Kabila not to stand for a third term in the presidential election in 2016.
The opposition’s position was stated by Martin Fayulu, Coordinator of Forces for Change, according to reports on Tuesday.
Fayulu said Kabila must declare to the Congolese people that he would not attempt to revise Article 220 of the Constitution that limits the term of office of the president and would refrain from any action likely to undermine the stability and consolidation of democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The coalition urged the government to withdraw the three bills tabled at the National Assembly for the revision of the Articles 220 and 64 of the Constitution as well as the electoral laws. It also asked the public to boycott and reject any initiative or operation to circumvent the elections in 2016.
The Article 220 of the Constitution states: “The republican form of the State, the principle of universal suffrage, the representative form of government, the number and length of the terms of office of the President of the Republic, the independence of the Judicial Power, the pluralism of political parties and trade unions may not form the object of a Constitutional amendment.
“Any constitutional amendment having as its objective or consequence the reduction of individuals rights and liberties or the reductions of the prerogatives of the provinces and decentralized territorial entities is formally prohibited.”
Article 64 states: “All Congolese have the duty to oppose any individual or group of individuals who took power by force and who exercise it in violation of the provisions of this constitution.”
The opposition called for the abolition of the newly created National Population Census Office (ONIP) because it was a means to delay the elections.
It said all activities related to the election (the identification and registration of voters, compilation and publication of electoral rolls, voting, counting, centralization and the announcement of provisional results) were the exclusive work of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Building on its campaign dubbed “Malu Malu – independent national electoral commission president – get out of here” the opposition coalition reiterated its demand that Mr. Malu Malu resigned from the INEC to allow the body to be restructured before the upcoming elections.
