DRC’s President Tshisekedi reshuffles cabinet ahead of election
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Loading... - Amina Bello
- 24 Mar 2023
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Analyst says the overhaul of the DRC’s 57 member-cabinet just months before the election is a ‘deeply political shuffle’.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has appointed the country’s former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was imprisoned for more than 10 years for war crimes, as defence minister in a sweeping government reshuffle.
His appointment was part of an overhaul of the 57 member-cabinet, which the president’s spokesperson said was “urgent and necessary”, in an announcement on national television late on Thursday. No further details were given.
The reshuffle, which was more extensive than observers had predicted, comes just months before a presidential election on December 20, in which Tshisekedi is likely to seek a second term.
“This a deeply political shuffle,” said Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group and professor at Canada’s Simon Fraser University.
Presidential candidates are expected to be announced next October, with a final list due in November. One likely challenger for the presidency is Martin Fayulu, who claimed victory in the 2018 poll. Another is Moise Katumbi, former governor of the oil-rich Katanga province.
Tshisekedi appointed Vital Kamerhe, his former chief of staff who was released from prison in December 2021 following an embezzlement conviction, as economy minister. Read More…
