Brussels, 21/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - Concerned about the political tension and number of people killed in two days of violent protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the European Union called, on Wednesday 21 January, for calm to be restored and electoral timetables to be respected.
“All political forces must find an agreement that enables appeasement and a return to calm.” “Respect for the electoral timetables, as set by the constitution, is central to the debate. The EU awaits publication of a full timetable, including the parliamentary and presidential elections that are written into the constitutional framework”, says a press release from the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The press release adds that “political tension linked to the electoral law in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the violent protests that have claimed numerous victims in Kinshasa and other towns in the country, is a risk to the country's stabilisation” (our translation throughout).
Clashes between the police and young Congolese protesters opposed to Joseph Kabila being able to stand in the elections have claimed at least 15 lives. The opposition accuses Kabila of feeding this project via a new draft electoral law that could postpone the presidential elections for several years. The presidential elections are currently scheduled in 2016. (AN)