On Thursday, August 13, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) called upon Parliament for a fresh deliberation on a proposed law. This legislation outlines the procedures for organizing a referendum on constitutional reform. This development unfolded amidst a tense “countdown” with the Coalition Article 64 (C64), a significant opposition platform established in May by the country’s leading political opposition factions.
The opposition coalition asserts that this legislative initiative, championed by the presidential party since 2024, is a deliberate strategy to enable President Tshisekedi to pursue an unconstitutional third term, a move explicitly prohibited by the 2006 Constitution.
In Kinshasa, on Wednesday, August 12, Dieudonné Bolengetenge, the Secretary-General of Moïse Katumbi’s party, Ensemble pour la République, and spokesperson for C64, issued a stern warning. He stated that the coalition would no longer accept mere counsel but would instead encourage widespread public mobilizations if the president failed to initiate a national dialogue.
C64 had set Saturday, August 15, as the deadline to assess any progress in political dialogue undertaken by the president. Simultaneously, the coalition urged the populace to engage in “mobilization and resistance” should the “withdrawal of the proposed referendum law currently under parliamentary review” not be confirmed.
A small step in the right direction
While President Tshisekedi’s concession does not entirely satisfy the opposition coalition, which has resolved to “maintain” its pressure, it nonetheless signifies “a small step in the right direction,” emphasized Prince Epenge, co-founder of the C64 Coalition.
A planned C64 march in Kinshasa, originally scheduled for July 22, had been postponed following interventions by the Catholic and Protestant Churches of Congo, which had urged political actors to prioritize dialogue.
Beyond C64, a collective of 65 Congolese civil society organizations submitted a memorandum on Monday, August 10, to the head of state and key national institutions. In their communication, they implored Félix Tshisekedi to abandon his proposed constitutional reform referendum. They argued that “such an initiative would, on the contrary, risk exacerbating political tensions, deepening social divides, and diverting institutions from the nation’s genuine priorities.”