DR Congo: Some Kinshasa residents support controversial referendum law

Some people in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have expressed support for a controversial referendum law approved by the constitutional court on Tuesday.

The opposition has denounced the ruling as giving President Félix Tshisekedi the green light to seek a third term in office.

Kinshasa resident, Martine Kabangu, said that she supports the law **“**given the current political situation and the circumstances in which our country now finds itself”.

“We have a lot to do and there are things we need to shake up and readjust. I support this law, I support it," she said.

The ruling comes as the country faces mounting security challenges, including renewed fighting with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the east and a growing Ebola outbreak.

The constitution currently limits the president to two terms and can’t be amended.

Under the new bill, the president will be able to make changes through a constituent assembly, followed by a referendum, in the event of a "major dysfunction" of state institutions.

Another Kinshasa resident, Bosco Kimbi, said Congolese people agree with the referendum law.

"We need to have another Constitution that will protect the country, protect the people, and allow us to move forward,” he said.

“We’re not going to stay stuck in a whirlwind where the country keeps being plundered here and there, and we still don’t benefit from anything.”

The judiciary and legislature are widely seen as lacking in independence and opponents doubt they could genuinely stand up to those in power during the process.

Tshisekedi has been in power since 2019 and under the current constitution has to step down at the end of his second five-year terms at the end of 2028.

He denies seeking a third term but says he would accept another mandate if requested by the people.

In June, an opposition protest in Kinshasa against the law spiralled out of control with several people wounded in clashes with pro-government activists and the police.

Opposition parties, weakened after the president's landslide re-election in 2023, have united against any attempt to change the constitution.