Congo-Kinshasa: President Félix Tshisekedi Announces Process for New Constitution

President Félix Tshisekedi announced that a commission would draft the DR Congo’s new Constitution next year, reports RFI, as the current one is “not good” and “written in a foreign country”.

Tshisekedi was addressing the nation from Kisangani in the Tshopo Province, where he also spoke of social and security issues.

“I will appoint a commission next year made up of people from different sections of society to draft a new constitution adapted to the realities of the DRC and which will no longer hamper the functioning of the country,” RFI quoted him as saying.

The leader said the current Constitution was poorly drafted as several articles of the fundamental law of 2006 need modification, including articles limiting the head of state’s mandates.

However, Tshisekedi, re-elected for a second and final term in December 2023, said that changing presidential term limits is “not the president’s task”.

“To change the number of presidential terms, you, the people, must be able to decide …” he reportedly said, warning opponents not to take advantage of the announcement to destabilize the country.

By French