Campaigning for Congo’s long-overdue elections began on Thursday, in spite of a divided opposition, an Ebola outbreak in the East, and concerns over new voting machines.
The elections, being held on Dec 23, have been delayed for two years by President Joseph Kabila and will be a test for the troubled country which has never seen a peaceful transfer of power.
In spite of expectations that Kabila would try to run again, his party is fielding a new candidate, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.
The streets of the capital Kinshasa were crowded with Kabila supporters, some carrying effigies of Shadary.
Shadary is predicted to win, with the country’s multiple opposition parties plagued by infighting over which joint candidate to field.
After negotiations in Geneva, six top opposition figures chose little-known Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate earlier this month.
Just days later, however, two opposition parties reneged on the agreement, saying Fayulu would be unable to win.
Prominent opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi withdrew his support, while the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) also asked its leader, Vital Kamhere, to withdraw from the agreement.
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Tshisekedi told dpa he was planning to consult with Kamhere to decide which name to put forward for Fayulu’s replacement.
“We are going to surprise the whole world, the best opposition candidate is in our camp,’’ UNC spokesman Sele Yemba told dpa.
According to him, Tshisekedi and Kamhere are meeting in Brussels this weekend to choose who that will be.
Several opposition leaders have been barred from running, including former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba and ex-Kabila ally Moise Katumbi.
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