by Juakali Kambale – SANF 06 No 81
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process is firmly on the path towards a new political dispensation, with one foot already in the doorway following the historic 22 September inauguration of the parliament.
The goalposts are already in sight, marking the final stages of a peace process inaugurated in Sun City, South Africa, in December 2002.
With a presidential run-off set for 29 October the Congolese are keeping their fingers crossed as the two presidential candidates try to fortify their support ahead of “the final match”.
Incumbent president, Joseph Kabila, faces the run-off against Jean-Pierre Bemba after they both failed to garner enough votes to beat a 50-plus-one-percent constitutional requirement for one to be declared winner of the presidential election.
Kabila won 44.81 percent of the vote, while Bemba had 20.03 percent.
Kabila’s prospects in the run-off have brightened after two former adversaries in the 30 July polls – Antoine Gizenga and Nzanga Mobutu – urged their supporters to rally behind the 35-year-old DRC leader.
Gizenga came third in the first round, with 13 percent of the vote, while Mobutu was fourth.
Mobutu is son of former president Mobutu Sese Seko who was ironically overthrown by Kabila’s father, Laurent, in 1997.
On the other end, Bemba is wooing support from other presidential candidates. On 23 September he celebrated the establishment of a new political coalition called Union for the Nation (UN).
The UN is an alliance of 15 of the 33 presidential candidates who contested the first round, including the four women candidates.
Those rallying behind Bemba include former transportation minister, Joseph Olengankoy; Gerard Kamanda wa Kamanda, current minister of scientific research; and Vincent Lunda Bululu, former prime minister under Mobutu regime.
The four women are Catherine Nzuzi wa Mbombo leader of former Mobutu’s party, the Popular Movement for the Revolution (MPR); Justine Kasavubu; and sisters Wivine N’landu and Marie-José N’landu.
The veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who boycotted the July elections and threatened to derail the election, is likely to join the Bemba’s coalition.
“We have not signed the agreement yet but as the nation is facing a real danger, we will analyse the situation and find out what can possibly be done,” said Jean-Baptiste Bomanza, Tshisekedi’s communication officer.
The key challenge as the run-off date draws nears is, however, how to ensure security in the capital city, Kinshasa.
Heavy fighting has previously erupted between troops loyal to Kabila and Bemba as results of the first round were being announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The IEC has already announced the arrival in Kinshasa of electoral kits. About 60 000 voting centres will be opened throughout the country.
The second round of the presidential elections will coincide with legislative polls for provincial governments.
According to the new constitution, DRC will be divided in 26 provinces with autonomous governments and parliaments.
Administratively, the country is decentralized in order to be better managed. Each province should keep 40 percent of local income to finance development projects.
The inauguration of the new parliament on 22 September constituted a very important step in the DRC peace process. 500 candidates were elected out of 9000.
“It was very tough and tiring,” said Marc Sumbusu, a newly elected member of parliament from Butembo, North Kivu province in eastern DRC.
The electoral operation itself was a huge success considering the size of the country and the lack of infrastructure.
The United Nations mission in the DRC and the South Africa government provided the necessary logistical support comprising air transportation and the printing of ballot papers. The European Union provided about US$500 million to ensure the smooth running of the polls.
The new parliament replaces the transitional parliament created by the 2002 peace agreement between the various armed groups in the country.
A disappointment, though, is the low representation of women in the new parliament. There are only 42 women out of 500 legislators, which translates to about 8.4 percent.
A noticeable feature of the new parliament is the overwhelming majority of Kabila supporters under the Alliance for the Presidential Majority banner (AMP).
The AMP dominates the new legislature, with 270 deputies or 54 percent of the seats.
