Tshisekedi to announce national dialogue team next week
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beto
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi says the team tasked with preparing the national dialogue will be set up next week. According to journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, who cites a source close to the meeting, he says the process is not intended to amend the Constitution to extend his time in power.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has announced that the team tasked with preparing the national dialogue on peace, cohesion and the refoundation of the state will be set up as early as next week. He made the announcement on Saturday during a closed-door meeting with members of the Sacred Union of the Nation, according to journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, who cited a source close to the meeting.
Félix Tshisekedi assured those present that the national dialogue would not be used to amend the Constitution in order to extend his time in power. He said he did not want to go beyond the term provided for by the Constitution and asked his supporters not to link the reflection on governance to his political future, Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala reports.
The announcement came the day after the National Assembly adopted the referendum law, which was passed on Friday by 346 of the 347 MPs who voted. The text, rewritten after observations from the Constitutional Court, must still be examined in a second reading by the Senate before being promulgated. The parliamentary opposition, which boycotted the debates, believes it could pave the way for a constitutional revision.
The team is intended to bring into effect the national dialogue committee established by an ordinance signed by Félix Tshisekedi on 13 September. The arrangement provides for a coordinator, a deputy, members and a technical secretariat of 11 experts, all appointed by the head of state.
