The opposition remains divided over the selection of its leader and spokesperson. This position, established in 2007, has yet to be filled due to ongoing disagreements.
Recently, Moïse Katumbi’s faction revived the process, but it has been delayed by Martin Fayulu, whose coalition boycotted the legislative elections. This week, other opposition members expressed their views on the matter.
The spokesperson is chosen by opposition deputies and senators within the DRC Parliament. Holding the rank of a Minister of State, the spokesperson manages an annual budget of several hundred thousand dollars. In his efforts, Moïse Katumbi has garnered support from former Prime Ministers Matata Mponyo and Adolphe Muzito, who are represented in the National Assembly. However, while Katumbi commands around twenty deputies, Mponyo and Muzito together have only four.
Conversely, Martin Fayulu’s faction opposes appointing a spokesperson, having contested the results of the December 2023 elections. This stance is shared by Delly Sesanga’s party, an ally of Katumbi in the presidential race. Sesanga’s party, Envol, argues that given the “current degradation of institutions and the moral and political decline of democracy,” the institutional stature of the opposition is ineffective in voicing “the plight of the people, who are mired in social misery, deprived of freedom, and subjected to insecurity.”
Other opposition members have suggested amending the law to allow parties without parliamentary representation to participate in the vote. This proposed modification aims to make the process more inclusive and reflective of the broader opposition spectrum.