BFF-47 Disputed DR Congo president in election move

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DRCONGO-POLITICS-VOTE

Disputed DR Congo president in election move

KINSHASA, June 8, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – DR Congo President Joseph Kabila,
whom critics accuse of seeking an illegal third term in office, has been
named as a leading figure in a campaign group for the vast African country’s
upcoming elections.

The cabinet on Thursday unanimously approved the creation of a “grand
political electoral coalition” named the Common Front for Congo (FCC), a
report of the ministerial meeting said Friday.

Designed to “provide support for a single candidate for the presidential
elections,” the FCC has named Kabila as its “moral authority,” it said.

The elections — twice postponed — are scheduled for December 23.

The opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party has
accused Kabila of “scheming” to stay in power.

Kabila took over from his assassinated father in 2001, and presides over
a country with a dark reputation for corruption, poor governance and
violence.

He has not clearly stated whether he will step aside despite appeals from
the United States, France and Britain for him to clearly state that he will
not seek re-election.

He was obligated to step down at the end of 2016 after he reached his
two-term constitutional limit, but a constitutional clause has allowed him to
remain in office until his successor is elected.

Escalating tension over Kabila’s future has fuelled protests, leading to
a security crackdown that has claimed dozens of lives and caused concern
among the Democratic Republic of Congo’s neighbours.

Last month, activists of the ruling People’s Party for Reconstruction and
Democracy (PPRD) put up posters in the capital declaring Kabila to be “our
candidate.”

Candidates for the presidential elections can file their applications
from July 25. The list of candidates is scheduled to be announced on
September 19.

BSS/AFP/RY/1830 hrs