Félix Tshisekedi’s to contest for DRC’s Presidency

August 28, 2023

(3 minutes read)

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruling party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) confirmed Félix Tshisekedi’s candidacy for the 2023 presidential election

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruling party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) confirmed Félix Tshisekedi’s candidacy for the 2023 presidential election. This was announced at an extraordinary congress held in Kinshasa recently. The party also elected Tshisekedi as its head for the next five years.

Tshisekedi has been in power since January 2019. He had earlier confirmed that he would run for re-election. For the national legislative elections, the UDPS is fielding 495 candidates for 500 available seats. For the provincial legislative elections, the party is proposing candidates in all constituencies. The elections will be held in December. Several presidential aspirants are in the fray for the election. His main competitor who is the leader of the opposition party Martin Fayulu said he would not run if proper changes are not made on the current electoral commission.

Human Rights Watch recently accused the government of Tshisekedi of “repressing” and “intimidating” the opposition, four months ahead of the presidential elections. The UN Joint Human Rights Office has noted political and electoral violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, abductions, and threats targeting political opponents.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to quell an armed rebellion by the M23 insurgency. DRC blames neighboring Rwanda for backing the militant group. Some of the Western governments also endorse this view, which is scotched by Rwanda.

In a significant development, President Paul Kagame has warned Catholics who visit pilgrimage sites known to have been sites of Marian apparitions each year, accusing them of worshipping poverty. Every year, thousands of pilgrims travel, sometimes on foot, to the town of Kibeho, known for several apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three young girls in the early 1980s. DRC has a formidable presence of Catholics.

This year, however, the Rwandan president lashed out at the pilgrims after a mass in Kibeho attracted more than 20,000 people on Assumption Day, August 15. There are reported versions that Kagame was not referring to the pilgrimage site but some other place. There was no immediate reaction from the Catholic Church. Almost all Rwandans are Christians, with Catholics accounting for half. The first Marian apparitions at Kibeho occurred in 1981 and were recognized by the Church in 2001. The site has since become a popular place of pilgrimage for Catholics from all over the world, hoping for a miracle or healing. According to local media reports this month, the Catholic Church is seeking 3.5 billion Rwandan francs (around 2.7 million euros) to expand the pilgrimage site.