On Thursday, August 13, amidst a tense “countdown” with the Coalition Article 64 (C64) — a significant platform established in May by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) leading opposition parties — President Félix Tshisekedi requested Parliament to re-evaluate legislation governing the organization of a constitutional reform referendum.
The C64 views this proposed bill, championed by the presidential party since 2024, as a mechanism designed to enable President Tshisekedi to pursue a third term in office, a move explicitly prohibited by the 2006 Constitution of the DRC.
In Kinshasa on Wednesday, August 12, Dieudonné Bolengetenge, the Secretary-General of Moïse Katumbi’s Ensemble pour la République and spokesperson for C64, issued a stern warning. He stated that the coalition would no longer heed advice but would instead galvanize public mobilizations if the president failed to initiate a comprehensive national dialogue.
The coalition had set Saturday, August 15, as the deadline to assess any progress in the political dialogue initiated by the president. They simultaneously urged the populace towards “mobilization and resistance” should the proposed referendum law, currently under parliamentary review, not be withdrawn.
A small step in the right direction
While President Tshisekedi’s recent concession does not entirely satisfy the opposition coalition, which remains committed to “maintaining” its pressure, it nonetheless signifies “a small step in the right direction,” as emphasized by Prince Epenge, co-founder of the C64 Coalition.
A march originally scheduled by C64 for July 22 in Kinshasa was previously postponed following interventions from the Catholic and Protestant Churches of Congo, who had advocated for political stakeholders to prioritize dialogue.
Beyond the C64, a collective of 65 Congolese civil society organizations presented a memorandum to the Head of State and key national institutions on Monday, August 10. They implored Félix Tshisekedi to abandon the constitutional reform referendum, asserting that “such an initiative would instead risk exacerbating political tensions, deepening social divides, and diverting institutions from the nation’s genuine priorities.”
