As the Democratic Republic of Congo gears up for the next presidential election in two months, Tshisekedi is busy engineering a deceptive façade of “elections” to tighten his grip on power.
First off, the Tshisekedi regime has the opposition under its thumb. The latter has been barred their freedom to campaign freely. Moïse Katumbi, leader of the opposition party Ensemble pour la République is one example. He and several members of his party were disallowed to host several political events, including rallies, in the Kongo-Central province.
Tshisekedi at the helm of the regime strategically placed his confidant, Denis Kadima to lead the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI). This stooge of the regime has been manipulating the electoral process. Kadima has failed to substantiate the astronomical figure of 43,955,181 registered voters. He is also behind the CENI’s intentional non-delivery of election equipment in multiple regions, exposes a sinister plan to manipulate the upcoming elections.
Further darkening the electoral process, Tshisekedi imposed a state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri: regions not aligned with his political stronghold. This calculated move appears designed to disenfranchise millions of potential voters, leaving them without the essential documents to participate in the polls.
The political ploys orchestrated by Tshisekedi unveil how staged the December election is. By hook or by crook, Tshisekedi wants to maintain his grip on power for the second term. The international community must closely scrutinize these actions of Tshisekedi and his regime to ensure the integrity of the electoral system and uphold aspirations of the Congolese people.