The inaugural session of the extraordinary meeting for the start of the 2024-2028 legislature is set to take place on Monday, January 29th. This session will primarily focus on introducing newly elected members. Over the weekend, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni) submitted the files of national deputies and their substitutes to the General Secretariat of the National Assembly.
These files pertain to 477 national deputies provisionally elected by the Electoral Commission. The agenda for Monday includes the appointment of members to the provisional bureau of the National Assembly.
During this plenary session, the lower house’s administration will announce the name of the dean, the oldest deputy, as well as the names of the two youngest deputies who will constitute the provisional bureau.
The 477 deputies provisionally proclaimed by the Céni will participate in this session, pending the resolution of appeals at the Constitutional Court.
Moreover, 39 out of the 59 government members, including Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, 4 out of the 5 Vice-Prime Ministers, as well as several ministers and deputy ministers, are also involved. Only 20 government members are not tied to an electoral mandate. It’s noteworthy that three government members had their results invalidated by the Céni due to suspicions of electoral fraud and/or violence.
Regarding the opposition, the presence of deputies from Ensemble for the Republic, the party of Moïse Katumbi, remains uncertain. This political faction remains highly critical of the electoral process and calls for the organization of new elections.
With the assurance of having a majority, President Félix Tshisekedi will now need to navigate the interests of the political coalitions that supported him during the electoral campaign.
As his party, the UDPS, couldn’t secure an absolute majority, the appointment of an informant will be necessary to formally identify the majority. The political landscape in the Democratic Republic of Congo is poised for a period of decision-making and negotiation as the new parliamentary term begins.