Congolese opposition leader Martin Fayulu has accused President Félix Tshisekedi of seeking to remain in power beyond the constitutional two-term limit, warning that any attempt to revise the country’s mandate rules would amount to a “constitutional coup d’état.”
Tshisekedi, who has led the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2019 and was re-elected in 2023, is due to leave office in 2028. The Congolese constitution limits presidents to two terms and states that the number and length of presidential mandates cannot be revised. However, the president stirred controversy this week when he told reporters that although he had “not asked for a third term,” he would accept one “if the people want” it.
Fayulu, who says he was the rightful winner of the disputed 2018 election and later placed third in the 2023 vote, said Tshisekedi’s remarks were intended to prepare the public for an attempt to stay in office. “Mr. Tshisekedi’s statements had the aim of announcing that he wants to remain in power at any cost,” Fayulu said. The controversy has been heightened by a bill before parliament that would allow the president to revise otherwise protected constitutional provisions in cases of “major dysfunction” affecting state institutions, subject to a referendum. Fayulu described the proposal as a political trick designed to give Tshisekedi a legal route to extend his rule.
Tshisekedi has also raised the possibility that the 2028 election could be postponed if the conflict in eastern Congo continues. Large areas of North and South Kivu remain under pressure from the AFC/M23 coalition, which Kinshasa, the United Nations and Western governments say is backed by Rwanda. Kigali denies supporting the rebels.
“If this war cannot be ended, unfortunately we will not be able to organise elections in 2028,” Tshisekedi said, arguing that voting cannot take place while parts of the country are occupied.
Fayulu rejected that argument, accusing the president of using the eastern conflict as a pretext to avoid elections. He said opposition forces would resist any effort to alter the constitution or delay the vote for political gain.
The debate recalls DR Congo’s previous succession crisis under former President Joseph Kabila, whose delayed departure after the end of his mandate in 2016 triggered protests, repression and international condemnation. For Tshisekedi’s opponents, the issue is now a test of whether Congo’s constitutional limits will hold. For the president’s camp, any change would need public approval through a referendum.
