DRC: Mukwege hopeful on December polls

Congolese activist doctor Denis Mukwege has expressed his optimism on the possibility of the presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo being held on the 5th of December this year.

This followed a citizen forum organized by an NGO Global Action Congo which ended on Saturday. Thirty participants from all provinces in DRC gathered around Dr. Mukwege to scan the road to peace, by rallying for the organization of the elections within the constitutional deadline.

And according to André Mbata, a professor of constitutional law, the country’s Constitutional Court did not amend Article 73 of the Constitution. “This article remains whole,” he said, adding that since the court did not exempt the country’s electoral commission to organise polls, the elections would therefore be possibly organized 90 days before the end of president Kabila’s term.

Last week Congolese youth called on the famous surgeon Mukwege to be their spokesperson. He is popular worldwide for his women rights campaign in DRC. President Kabila is being accused of deliberate maneuvers to delay elections beyond the limits provided in the Constitution so that he can extend his term in office.