AFRICA/DR CONGO - Opposition and civil society in Brussels to discuss how to "avert chaos"

Wednesday, 8 June 2016 politics  

Giuseppe Dominici

Brussels (Agenzia Fides) - A hundred delegates of the opposition and civil society of the Democratic Republic of Congo are meeting in Brussels on 8 and 9 June, at the invitation of Etienne Tshisekedi, leader of the UPSD (Union for Democracy and the Social Progress), one of the main opposition parties to President Joseph Kabila.
According to one of the responsible of the UPSD, the purpose of the meeting is to outline a strategy "to avert chaos", as it seems there is little possibility to hold presidential and parliamentary elections by November, as required by the Constitution. There are fears that President Kabila, also strong of a Constitutional Court ruling, seeks to indefinitely prolong his mandate, since he cannot stand for election to obtain a third term (see Fides 25/05/2016).
The head of Tshisekedi's party believes that the way out of the crisis is that of dialogue, as envisaged under the agreement of Addis Ababa and Resolution 2277 of the UN Security Council (see Fides 14/04/2016).
The opposition, however, is divided on the meeting in the Belgian capital. Some see it as a real chance to get to organize elections by the end of the year; others fear that this is a maneuver that will eventually lead to the extension of President Kabila's mandate. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 08/06/2016)


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