DR Congo court lifts obstacle to Katumbi’s goals

The highest court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has rejected a lawsuit that tried to prevent Moïse Katumbi, an opposition leader, from running in the presidential election by raising doubts about his nationality.

MrKatumbi, whose father was Italian, is considered one of the top competitors against current leader Félix Tshisekedi in the upcoming December election. Having two nationalities is against the law in Congo.

On Monday, the court decided that the lawsuit did not have a valid basis.

There is growing disagreement in the country before the upcoming December elections. President Tshisekedi wants to be elected for a second time.

Mr Tshisekedi will also be competing against Martin Fayulu, who came in second place in the last election. He will also be up against former Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito and Nobel Prize-winning gynaecologist Denis Mukwege.

Over 20 people want to become president, but the government will decide on the final candidates in November after they check everyone’s qualifications.

Noel Tshiani, who also wants to be president, asked the court to stop Mr. Katumbi from running for president. He said that Mr. Katumbi is not a citizen of Congo.

According to reports, Mr. Katumbi’s father had ancestors from Greece and Italy.

The Constitutional Court decided that the lawsuit against Mr. Katumbi was dismissed because the person who filed it did not have the legal right to do so.

MrKatumbi’s lawyer, Herve Diakiese, said that there is no evidence to support the claim that his client has any citizenship other than Congolese.

MrDiakiese said that this is the ending point of a very long fight against unfairness, falsehoods, manipulation, and false information.

People who support Mr. Katumbi were seen having a happy time outside the court in the capital city, Kinshasa, after the decision was made.

MrTshiani has suggested a new law that would allow only people whose parents were both from Congo to have important political positions, like being the president.

The proposed bill from 2021 has been given approval by the parliament, but it hasn’t been presented for discussion yet.

Critics say the bill is a plan to support Mr. Tshisekedi’s attempt for a second term as president. However, the president has stated that the proposed law should not be used to prevent other people from running for office.

Political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo have shown their disagreement with the proposed bill, and religious leaders from the Catholic Church have called it discriminatory.

MrKatumbi, who is a rich businessman and used to be in charge of the copper-rich Katanga area, left DR Congo in 2016. This happened because the previous President, Joseph Kabila, accused him of hiring mercenaries. President Tshisekedi’s government made this accusation.

He was also given a three-year prison sentence, but he was not present for the trial. He is not allowed to come back to the country and participate in the 2018 election.

MrKatumbi came back to his home in 2019 because the accusations against him were dismissed.