Democratic Republic of Congo’s Constitutional Court this week approved a proposal that could see President Felix Tshisekedi run for a third term after a referendum.

Tshisekedi, 63, has been in power since 2019 and under the current constitution has to step down at the end of his second five-year term at the end of 2028.

The head of state and his supporters have for months been preparing public opinion, without explicitly stating that he will seek a third term.

But they have called for a revision of the constitution that they deem to be “out of step with the expectations of the population.”

At a rare news conference in early May, Tshisekedi maintained that he had “not sought a third term” but stated: “If people want me to have a third term, I will accept.”

The Congolese constitution limits the president to two terms and stipulates that it cannot be amended.

A bill approved on Tuesday by the constitutional court would make it possible to alter the constitution’s “prohibited subjects of revision” in the event of “major dysfunction” paralysing state institutions, at the president’s initiative.

To do so, the head of state would have to convene a panel of experts whose conclusions would be submitted to a constituent assembly.

Referendum

That assembly could then approve them by a three-fifths majority, before putting the bill to a public vote.

A new constitution could equally reset the presidential term count for Tshisekedi.

On June 12, citizens opposed to the draft referendum law held protests in DRC’s capital, Kinshasa.

The opposition postponed a day of national action planned for July 22 against the change to the constitution after the government announced the organisation of a national dialogue.

The opposition has urged the dialogue to begin before August 15 or face protests.