DR Congo parties agree that President Joseph Kabila to step down after elections
Democratic Republic of Congo incumbent President Joseph Kabila will have to leave office after the country’s next year elections according to a new agreement signed by the country’s political parties late Saturday.
The elections have been scheduled to be held end of 2018 instead of mid next year as earlier indicated. The Church body known as CENCO, mediated the talks that got the compromise after initially being unable to meet the Christmas deadline.
“It’s one thing to have a political compromise but putting it into place is another,” Monsignor Marcel Utembi, president of CENCO
“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the signing today in Kinshasa, by the opposition and the Majorité présidentielle, of a political agreement on the holding of elections in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and transitional arrangements leading up to the polls.” Said a statement released by the United Nations
Kabila,45, became president in 2001 after the assassination of his father, and was constitutionally barred from seeking another term after his mandate expired Dec. 19. However, no presidential election was held in November and a court ruled he could stay in office until such a ballot could be organized. The end of his mandate on 19 December prompted protests in cities across the DRC.
Neither Kabila nor the country’s leading opposition leader, 84-year-old Etienne Tshisekedi, were expected to sign the deal, raising concerns about whether it would be respected.
