Congo’s new president enters office under a cloud
Serious doubts have been raised over the election’s credibility and the continued influence of the current ruling elite
Source: Congo Research Group; Financial Times; Radio France Internationale; TV5 Monde
Outlook
President-elect Felix Tshisekedi is set to be inaugurated after the Constitutional Court on January 20 rejected runner-up Martin Fayulu’s claims of electoral fraud.
Fayulu’s claims rest on leaked data from Congo’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and observation reports from the Catholic Church’s National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO), both of which appear to show Fayulu winning by a significant margin.
International and domestic responses have been mixed, but many have expressed serious doubts over the elections’ credibility. While further appeals are pending, the ruling Common Front for the Congo (FCC) has also claimed an overwhelming victory in legislative and provincial elections.
Impacts
- The FCC’s parliamentary majority will give it significant control over government institutions, as well as the post of prime minister.
- The FCC claims 70% of provincial seats and will dominate senate and gubernatorial polls, to be voted on by provincial assemblies in March.
- The questionable division of power will fuel rumours of a backroom deal between Tshisekedi and outgoing President Joseph Kabila.
- Beyond domestic divisions and the FCC’s entrenched influence, Tshisekedi’s Congo will also face deepening international isolation.
See also
- Congo heads towards a contested election - Dec 19, 2023
- Congo faces bumpy road to 2023 elections - Dec 20, 2022
- Kamerhe’s return may fuel Congo’s political volatility - Oct 3, 2022
- Congo faces a period of shifting alliances - Jun 7, 2022
- CENI reform will destabilise Congo’s Sacred Union - Aug 20, 2021
- Congo’s electoral reform process will pose challenges - May 7, 2021
- Congo’s president now faces pressure to deliver - Feb 5, 2021
- Congo’s political power shift may produce an impasse - Dec 16, 2020
- Tshisekedi's gambit may fail to upend Congo's politics - Nov 2, 2020
- Kamerhe arrest will destabilise Congo’s presidency - Apr 22, 2020
- The honeymoon is over for Congo’s coalition government - Dec 3, 2019
- Tshisekedi looks for regional help in eastern Congo - Nov 13, 2019
- Congo’s new cabinet marks shallow break from the past - Aug 30, 2019
- Congo's political battles threaten governance capacity - Jun 27, 2019
- Senate election will further erode Congo’s democracy - Mar 26, 2019
- Rwanda-Burundi tensions threaten regional stability - Feb 27, 2019
- Congo’s new president faces governance challenges - Feb 15, 2019
- Call for new Congo election will fall on deaf ears - Feb 12, 2019
- Congo’s president looks to rebuild regional relations - Feb 6, 2019
- Congo inauguration presages contest for institutions - Jan 24, 2019
- Congo's flawed polls pose dangerous dilemmas - Jan 11, 2019
- More graphic analysis