Congolese lawmakers mobilize to oust prime minister in victory for president By Reuters

By Hereward Holland GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Reuters) – A majority in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s lower house of parliament filed a motion of no confidence against the prime minister on Friday, a move that will likely force the collapse of the government and deliver to President Felix Tshisekedi a great political victory. The motion, which legislator Chérubin Okende said carried the signatures of more than 300 of the 500 members of the National Assembly, gives Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba 48 hours to resign or face a vote of no confidence. Last month, Tshisekedi moved to end a coalition formed with his predecessor Joseph Kabila that has limited Tshisekedi’s authority since he took office in January 2019. Since then, he has persuaded dozens of MPs to defect from the alliance. Kabila, who had previously controlled the majority in parliament. While Tshisekedi’s new political grouping, known as Sacred Union, has yet to formally take over the majority, requiring a separate statement, Ilunga’s political fate appeared sealed. “The majority of the national assembly is in favor of the removal of the prime minister,” Okende, one of the authors of the motion, told Reuters. If his allies emerge with a parliamentary majority, the president could nominate a cabinet of his choosing after two years in which Kabila’s allies have dominated major ministries, paralyzing Tshisekedi’s agenda. It would also free up Tshisekedi’s hand to appoint a head of the electoral commission to a new central bank board, a precondition for much-needed assistance from international donors. But political analysts say the behind-the-scenes negotiation of Tshisekedi’s new allies may point to a change from one political elite to another rather than substantial change. “At best, we win a few months before the next crisis without any real change in the level of governance. At worst, we are headed for something … worse,” said Jean Claude Mputu, a political scientist at the University of Liège.

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