The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, has announced his candidacy for the presidential elections slated for December 20.

His candidacy is supported by strong politicians in his regime including Speaker of the Senate Modeste Bahati, Speaker of the National Assembly Christophe Mboso, Prime Minister Sama Lukonde and Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Defence Jean-Pierre Bemba.

Prominent opposition leaders such as Denis Mukwege and Martin Fayulu have also announced their candidacies, while former DRC President Joseph Kabila is yet to announce his.

Moïse Katumbi who wanted to join the contest is targeted by the “Tshiani Law” which provides that only a Congolese born of a Congolese father and mother may be appointed to positions of sovereignty or as state officers, including president, prime minister, in the courts and tribunals, the ministries of finance, defence and security.

On the other hand, however, everything happening now is a smoke screen.

With only two months to hold the elections, it is safe to say that there will be either no elections or they will be fraudulent so that Tshisekedi must stay in office.

Plan to steal the election

Opposition leaders refused to recognize the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) led by Denis Kadima and they call for a new electoral commission to be set up, to guarantee equal opportunities for various stakeholders in the electoral process.

Upon taking power after an election that was widely seen as fraudulent by both domestic and international observers, I’m January 2018, President Tshisekedi brazenly violated the country’s constitution in a selfish pursuit to once again grab power.

He appointed judges unconstitutionally; handpicked partisan members of the supposedly independent electoral commission (CENI); imposed or otherwise failed to reform unfair electoral laws that are favourable only to him; and declared a “state of siege” – which amounts to martial law – in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, areas known to be opposition strongholds.

The appointment of Kadima as head of CENI, in October 2021, caused anger. Opposition protestors poured on Kinshasa streets asking for a neutral election commission, but in vain.

Kadima is very close to Tshisekedi and is a fellow tribesman from Kasai.

Tshisekedi used CENI to create more voting centers in his home province of Kasai, preparing to enroll thousands of ghost voters.

The CENI deliberately created problems of lack of power, sources of machines, delays in registration, delivery of kits, solar panels, cables, in order to organize electoral chaos to prepare for fraud.

Despite all calls for changes of CENI leadership, Tshisekedi turned a deaf ear. He instead appointed, unconstitutionally, judges responsible for solving possible elections-related disputes.

Tshisekedi then prepared everything so that if elections are held on December 20, he must be declared as ‘winner’. Any complaint challenging the results will be futile as the results are known even before the ballots are cast.

No elections

Is Tshisekedi really keen on holding polls this December?

His predecessor Joseph Kabila, when faced with a deadlock, postponed the elections, initially scheduled for 2016, until December 2018. Tshisekedi is most likely to do something more bizarre.

Officially, the government is not talking about postponing elections but the writing is on the wall despite the fact that candidates have been announced, and so on and so forth.

Observers agree that the Congolese leader is exploiting the insecurity in the restive east to defer the elections.

The possibility that elections will not be held, as scheduled, is real.

In this case, Tshisekedi will ask for a transition considering the growing insecurity in eastern DRC as his justification. Tshisekedi is fanning the flames of insecurity in the region by arming militia groups, supporting the FDLR genocidal militia, hiring mercenaries, sabotaging regional peace efforts and asking the UN peacekeeping mission to leave the country quickly.

Since May 2021, he has maintained the state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri provinces – areas known to be opposition strongholds – and there is no hope of lifting it. The population in these provinces will hardly participate in the polls, if they are held.