Scene Setter for Planned December Election in DRC

Play Button Pause Button
0:00 0:00
x
Episode Guests
  • John Campbell
    Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies

Show Notes

Though Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala of Democratic Republic of Congo officially announced on June 12 that President Joseph Kabila would not stand for a controversial third term, this has not ended speculation that Kabila, whose term of office expired in 2016, will find a way to continue to stay in power. Shortly thereafter, in what will surely complicate the election, the International Criminal Court acquitted Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former Congolese vice president, an ex-warlord, and a fierce rival of Kabila. Before these announcements were made, I sat down with Comfort Ero, the Africa program director for International Crisis Group, to discuss a new Crisis Group report on the situation in Congo as the tentative December election date approaches. Our discussion focuses on technical issues facing election officials, challenges that the opposition faces, the role of international and regional actors, and President Kabila’s personal situation.

Kenya

In this episode of Africa in Transition, John Campbell speaks with Vincent Makori, host of Africa 54, Voice of America's daily African news show. We discuss the current state of Kenya's politics, foc…

Sub-Saharan Africa

In this episode of Africa in Transition, John Campbell speaks with Ned Dalby, a senior research analyst with International Crisis Group and lead contributor to the new report Double-Edged Sword: Vigi…

South Africa

In this episode of Africa in Transition, John Campbell speaks with Crispian Olver, a former senior South African government official, member of the African National Congress (ANC), and author of the …

Top Stories on CFR

Russia

Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at CFR, and Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the future of U.S. policy toward Russia and the risks posed by heightened tensions between two nuclear powers. This episode is the first in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Violence around U.S. elections in 2024 could not only destabilize American democracy but also embolden autocrats across the world. Jacob Ware recommends that political leaders take steps to shore up civic trust and remove the opportunity for violence ahead of the 2024 election season.

China

Those seeking to profit from fentanyl and governments seeking to control its supply are locked in a never-ending competition, with each new countermeasure spurring further innovation to circumvent it.