The Chief of Staff to the Head of State, Antony Kinzo, acting on the orders of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, has instructed Deputy Prime Minister for the Interior Jacquemin Shabani Lukoo to impose a moratorium on all motions of no confidence or censure until the end of the war in the east of the country. This presidential decision has provoked strong reactions among Congolese politicians.

While the government justifies this measure as necessary to preserve the stability of institutions during a period of security crisis, several observers see it as an authoritarian move and a serious violation of the democratic principles enshrined in the Congolese Constitution.

“This measure aims to allow provincial governors to manage their entities without the constant fear of being removed from office,” according to the office of the President of the Republic.

Political analysts believe that this decision reflects a fear of democratic debate and a desire on the part of the regime to protect certain public officials in the face of mounting criticism of the management of state affairs. For them, war cannot be used as a pretext to neutralize the control of the legislative branch, one of the pillars of any democracy.

“It’s an indirect way of telling people not to touch the governors or scrutinize their management. Because even recommendations are prohibited. This is a new violation of the constitution, which established provincial assemblies as bodies to oversee the management of provincial governors,” said a law researcher at the University of Kinshasa, speaking on condition of anonymity.

This moratorium comes after the dismissal of the governor of Tshopo province, Paulin Lendongolia Lebabonga, who is considered behind the scenes to be one of the President’s protégés. On several occasions, provincial assemblies have dismissed other governors without Kinshasa taking any action.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma