Democratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister resigns
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde and his administration resign just two months after winning national elections
In a sudden development that sent shockwaves throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde and his administration submitted their resignations. This development, just two months after winning the national elections, indicates a dramatic change in the dynamics of the nation’s government. Lukonde submitted his resignation to President Felix Tshisekedi on Tuesday, and the resignation was made public on Wednesday thanks to a video that the president distributed.
In the Dec. 20 elections, 27 members of Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde’s administration, including himself, won seats in parliament. Lukonde had been in power for three years. President Tshisekedi was re-elected for a second five-year term and maintained his commanding majority in the legislature as a result of the elections. Earlier in the month, Tshisekedi had begun consolidating his base of support when he assigned Augustin Kabuya, the party’s general secretary, the duty of creating a party majority with the intention of establishing a new government.
The president’s supporters seem to have won handily, taking about 94 percent of the seats in the National Assembly, according to the preliminary figures, which are still pending certification by the Constitutional Council. The current political events were precipitated by Tshisekedi’s choice to choose Sama Lukonde as prime minister in Feb. 2021, which signaled the dissolution of a coalition with Joseph Kabila, his predecessor.
Lukonde made notable advancements in the financial and social reform domains throughout his term, with a focus on strengthening the security, education, and health sectors. Notwithstanding these successes, the departure of the Lukonde administration comes before the establishment of a new government, the exact date of which is unknown. The departing government is in charge of running the state’s affairs up to that point.
With neighboring Rwanda allegedly providing help, the DRC, which is facing enormous security issues, has seen a return of bloodshed in the east, most notably between the army and M23 rebels. There was a little period of quiet throughout the election time, but now there is a renewed dispute. Seven million people have been internally displaced by the end of last year, according to the UN, highlighting the severe humanitarian situation in the nation.
Living on less than $2.15 a day, two-thirds of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 100 million citizens are among the world’s poorest countries. As the nation waits for the formation of a new administration despite continuous security and economic concerns, the resignation of Prime Minister Lukonde and his cabinet ushers in a period of uncertainty and expectation.
Source: AFP
