Unraveling of Congo's Opposition Pact Boosts Kabila's Protege
- Access to state machinery give Shadary added edge in vote
- Opposition is concerned election won’t be free and fair
Just a day after seven opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo backed a single presidential candidate to contest next month’s election, two of the most popular politicians pulled out of the deal. A fractured opposition vote boosts the likelihood of Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, President Joseph Kabila’s protege, winning the Dec. 23 contest, while increasing the risk of instability in the world’s biggest cobalt producer.
Congo’s opposition has never been able to present a united front in elections, yet repeated pledges to nominate a joint candidate this year raised hopes among government opponents that regime change was on the cards. The surprise announcement that the relatively unknown Martin Fayulu would head the opposition ticket was made on Sunday, but presidential hopefuls Felix Tshisekedi and Vital Kamerhe backtracked on it the following day. While Congolese analyst Tshitenge Lubabu called the decision to name Fayulu a “monumental mistake,” others said it made sense to pick a consensus candidate.