DR Congo parliament votes to remove speaker

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s lower house of parliament has voted to remove its speaker in the latest round of a bitter rivalry between President Felix Tshisekedi with his predecessor and coalition partner Joseph Kabila.

The vote, which took place on Thursday, was a show of strength by Tshisekedi’s allies, who might have enough support to form a new majority in parliament and bring down the government, which is dominated by Kabila loyalists.

The National Assembly voted by 281 to 200 to impeach speaker Jeanine Mabunda, a close Kabila ally, accusing her of “conflictual and partisan” leadership and not being transparent about her management of the body’s finances.

During a rowdy debate that lasted hours, Mabunda denied the accusations against her and apologised for any misunderstandings.

Cheers, hugs and dancing broke out among politicians when it was clear the motion had passed.

“We are resolutely committed to the path of true democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Peter Kazadi, a lawmaker from Tshisekedi’s CACH political alliance, said on Twitter.

“With this change of majority, no one will be able to take our political class hostage,” he added.

Tshisekedi was a longtime opponent of Kabila, who governed from 2001 to January 2019. He won office by defeating Kabila’s chosen successor in the 2018 election, even as independent observers, including Catholic bishops, said another opposition candidate had won.

But Kabila’s Common Front for Congo (FCC) won parliamentary majorities in the same election with more than 60 percent of the seats, forcing Tshisekedi to enter into a coalition with it.

The awkward arrangement has frustrated Tshisekedi as he tries to pursue an agenda that includes addressing armed violence in the mineral-rich east, reforming the judiciary and securing financial support from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

After nearly two years of trying to chip away at Kabila’s power, Tshisekedi initiated talks last month with political, religious and civil society leaders.

On Sunday, he announced he would move to end the coalition with the FCC.