Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary - Uganda Multimedia News & Information

25 Candidates to stand for DR Congo presidency

Agnes Tumuheire — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 16:30:46 +0000

Over 25 candidates have come-up to show interest in the presidential seat of the Democratic Republic of Congo.This follows former president, Joseph Kabila’s announcement that he will not stand for another election.The elections that were originally scheduled to be held on 27 November 2016 are to be held 23 December 2018 to determine a successor to incumbent President Joseph Kabila

Over 25 candidates have come-up to show interest in the presidential seat of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Three opposition heavyweights, a 92-year-old ally of an independence hero and the president’s chosen successor are among 25 candidates who have registered to run in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s long-awaited elections.

Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former interior minister named by the government on Wednesday as the ruling coalition candidate, was listed as an independent, according to a preliminary electoral commission list issued Friday.

Shadary, who is on an EU sanctions blacklist, was anointed after President Joseph Kabila bowed to intense international and domestic pressure and decided not to run again in the elections scheduled for December 23.

The three main opposition politicians to throw their hats in the ring are Felix Tshisekedi, Jean-Pierre Bemba and Vital Kamerhe, who could eventually decide to line up behind a single candidate.

Tshisekedi, 55, is leader of Congo’s oldest opposition party UDPS and the son of longstanding opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi who died last year.

Bemba, also 55, is a former warlord and Kabila rival, who returned to Kinshasa this month after being acquitted of war crimes convictions by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Kamerhe, 59, is the leader of the opposition Union for the Congolese Nation, although he has previously served as parliamentary speaker and information minister.

The oldest candidate is Antoine Gizenga, 92, a former prime minister who was a brother-in-arms to national independence hero Patrice Lumumba and more recently a prime minister under Kabila after he first came to power in 2006.

The electoral body is expected to publish another provisional list of candidates on August 24 and a final list on September 19, just three months ahead of the vote.(Daily Monitor)

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DR Congo President Joseph Kabila not pursuing third term

Herman Nnyanzi — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 10:09:32 +0000

Democratic Republic of Congo‘s President Joseph Kabila will not be seeking a third term in December’s election, his spokesperson has said.

The governing coalition has nominated former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary has been a key supporter of President Kabila to be its candidate.

The governing coalition has nominated former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary to be its candidate

Kabila’s second term ended in 2016, but elections have been delayed and there had been speculation that he would run again. Eight other candidates have registered to run ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.

Shadary will face former Vice-President Jean Pierre Bemba, who returned to DR Congo last week after being acquitted of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Bemba was greeted by a mammoth crowd on his return to the country after 11 years.

Shadary will face former Vice-President Jean Pierre Bemba

But another favourite, Moise Katumbi, the former governor of the mineral-rich Katanga province, who has been on a self-imposed exile, will not take part after being blocked by authorities from entering the country.

His tenure as interior minister was marked by a violent crackdown on opposition politicians and their supporters, and the arrest of activists.

Moise Katumbi the former governor of the mineral-rich Katanga province is also a favourite

He is among eight senior DR Congo government officials targeted by European Union sanctions last year, our correspondent adds.

Joseph Kabange Kabila became president when his father Laurent Kabila was assassinated in 2001. He was elected in 2006, and secured another term in controversial elections in 2011. The 47-year-old leader refused to leave office when his term expired in December 2016.

The country’s electoral commission said at the time that it could not organize elections until 2018 because violence in the eastern Kasai region had impeded registration of voters. Opposition groups however saw it as a ploy by Kabila to extend his time in office.

Laurent-Désiré Kabila (left) was succeded by his son Joseph Kabila (right) in January 2001

An anti-Kabila protest in September 2016 was violently repressed leaving dozens dead. The government then banned public demonstrations.

Amnesty International lead researcher in DR Congo, Jean-Mobert Senga, welcomed Kabila’s plan not to seek a third term but added that his government must now ensure that people can freely exercise their voting rights during the election period.

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