Key Congo Opposition Leaders Drop Joint-Candidate Support

Nov 12 2018, 7:31 PMNov 13 2018, 7:53 AMNovember 12 2018, 7:31 PMNovember 13 2018, 7:53 AM

(Bloomberg) -- Two of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most popular opposition leaders withdrew their support for a joint candidate in next month’s presidential election.

Felix Tshisekedi, head of the biggest opposition party, and Vital Kamerhe, who finished third in the last vote in 2011, reversed course a day after agreeing a pact in Geneva with five other leaders to back Martin Fayulu in the Dec. 23 vote. Their decision removes a major bloc of support for Fayulu in his bid to defeat President Joseph Kabila’s anointed successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

The selection of Fayulu “hasn’t been understood by our base and has been rejected,” Tshisekedi, leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, said in an interview with Top Congo, a Kinshasa-based radio broadcaster, on Monday. “Therefore I am withdrawing my signature in the name of the UDPS from this agreement that we signed in Geneva.”

Tshisekedi’s and Kamerhe’s supporters protested their leaders’ decisions to stand aside for Fayulu outside their parties’ headquarters on Monday.

Click here to read a related article about Martin Fayulu

An opinion poll published last month by New York University’s Congo Research Group said Fayulu would place fourth in the election, with 8 percent support. Tshisekedi topped the survey with 36 percent, while Kamerhe and Shadary were second and third respectively with 17 percent and 16 percent.

Fayulu told French television broadcaster TV5Monde on Monday he was “totally disgusted” by the actions of Tshisekedi and Kamerhe, while stating he and the other four leaders “remain firm in their commitment” to his candidacy. Among them is Freddy Matungulu who -- like Fayulu, Tshisekedi and Kamerhe -- was authorized to register to run for the presidency, as well as opposition heavyweights Jean-Pierre Bemba and Moise Katumbi.

Bemba was disqualified by the electoral commission and Katumbi, in exile since 2016, was prevented from returning to Congo to file his bid. Before their exclusions, they scored best alongside Tshisekedi in the Congo Research Group opinion poll.

Kamerhe based the decision to withdraw his support for Fayulu on similar reasons.

“I’m withdrawing my signature to respect the will of my base,” he said to the broadcaster. “Without this base, I’ll flog myself and exclude myself from the party.”

Their parties called on Tshisekedi and Kamerhe -- who both registered in August to run for office -- not to opt out of the election.

Congo, one of the world’s poorest and most corrupt nations despite abundant natural resources including copper, gold and oil, hasn’t had a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960.