Congolese presidential hopeful Felix Tshisekedi has returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the country’s delayed election scheduled for December 23.
Tshisekedi was pronounced the presidential candidate of an opposition coalition between the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party and the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC).
The parties had met in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, to hold talks on fronting one candidate.
“We will go with the people and we will win,” Tshisekedi, said on Tuesday.
Under the UDPS-UNC agreement, Tshisekedi will appoint Vital Kamerhe as his prime minister should he win the election.
The DR Congo’s election was initially set for November 2016, but the elections body said it was not able to conduct the vote due to logistical challenges.
The failure to hold the vote meant Presiden Joseph Kabila, barred by the constitution from seeking another term, remained in power.
That then prompted accusations from opposition leaders that Kabila had frustrated the elections as a way of clinging on to power, accusations he denied.
Should the elections go on successfully, this will be the first time DR Congo witnesses a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence in 1960.
