2023-10-04 16:58:20
Nicknamed “the man who repairs women”, the famous Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his fight once morest the scourge of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, filed his candidacy for the presidential election on Tuesday. Popular with civil society but without a structured party to support him, can this political novice create a surprise next December? Response elements.
At the bedside of the Congolese people for more than three decades, Denis Mukwege, famous throughout the world for his fight once morest sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officially filed his candidacy for the December presidential election on Tuesday, October 3. Enough to raise a wave of hope within civil society but also doubts regarding the chances of this atypical contender to win once morest the tenors of Congolese political life.
Winner of the Sakharov Prize in 2014 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, the founding president of the Panzi Foundation – named following the hospital he founded in 1999 in Bukavu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo to treat the bruised bodies of raped women – Denis Mukwege enjoys an indisputable aura in his country.
Renowned for his courage and integrity, a rarity in a country plagued by endemic corruption, the human rights activist seems to tick all the boxes of the ideal candidate. But can “the man who fixes women” now fix the entire country?
Within civil society, many want to believe it. On the ground, two structures support his approach: a “Patriotic Appeal” and a political platform, the ACRN (Alliance of the Congolese for the Refoundation of the Nation). A sign of the fervor surrounding his candidacy, Denis Mukwege received $100,000 from his supporters on September 16 to constitute the deposit required by the electoral commission.
“In a country where 70% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, we see this as a sign of strong commitment,” political scientist Alphonse Maindo, professor at the University of Kisangani, assures TV5 Monde.
“Without talking regarding popular fervor, we can talk regarding interest in a candidacy for a new offer,” tempers analyst Christian Moleka, national coordinator of Dypol, the Dynamics of political scientists of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “All the other candidates have been in office in the past and do not have the advantage of presenting themselves as new. Furthermore, the moral stature of Denis Mukwege in a political universe filled with crocodiles allows him to embody a form of immaculate whiteness which seduces and interests.”
“I don’t want this experience”
But the task promises to be colossal for Denis Mukwege and his team. Without a party anchored in the territory and without any political experience, the gynecologist is open to accusations of amateurism.
“Here, the political experiment consists of embezzling public funds and leaving the population in misery while our country is rich. I don’t want this experience,” scathes the 68-year-old doctor on the French channel 24, promising “work” and “discipline” to restore the “dignity” of the country.
On the candidate’s agenda: the question of the “predation” of natural resources, the conditions of extraction of which are at the origin of multiple violations of human rights, and the fight once morest insecurity and armed groups in the is from the country.
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Denis Mukwege has regularly criticized the government for having called on East African armies to confront the M23 rebellion which controls entire swaths of North Kivu, at the risk of endangering the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Three months before the election, the Nobel Peace Prize winner will also have a lot to do to hope to unite a fragmented opposition once morest the favorite of the election, the outgoing president, Félix Tshisekedi.
Among the opponents in the running include two heavyweights in Congolese politics: the former governor of Katanga (South-East) and rich businessman Moïse Katumbi, and Martin Fayulu, unsuccessful candidate in the December 2018 election, who confirmed his candidacy on Saturday.
The vote being in a single round, this scattering of candidates mechanically increases the chances of winning for Félix Tshisekedi, note many observers of Congolese political life, wondering regarding the possible alliances and groupings which might take place. here the elections.
“Félix Tshisekedi must leave but this question is not on the agenda. Today, we present our candidacies, we will see later”, affirms on France 24 the opponent Martin Fayulu, leaving the door open to a electoral agreement.
“In a country as vast as the DRC, we do not win alone,” notes Christian Moleka. “We need regional allies. However, Denis Mukwege is sorely lacking in partisan support. Without a coalition around him, the appeal generated by his candidacy might quickly turn to disillusionment. We will also see how the other actors will manage their egos” , adds the expert.
A journey strewn with pitfalls
While the opposition advances in dispersed order, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the party of Félix Tshisekedi, is already ready to set the steamroller in motion. The president, in power for five years, is currently touring the southeast of the country, where he launched work on a bridge on the Zambian border and was to inaugurate various infrastructures.
The outgoing president can count on the support of several emblematic political figures: Jean-Pierre Bemba and Vital Kamerhe, who put aside their ambitions for this election coupled with that of national and provincial deputies as well as that of municipal councilors.
For Dr. Mukwege, a path strewn with pitfalls opens up as the political climate has become considerably tense as the deadline approaches: opposition demonstrations have been repressed, journalists harassed while violence in the East continue, making it almost impossible to hold a campaign.
For several months, the electoral process has also been strongly criticized by civil society actors, casting doubt on the honesty of the vote. The opposition denounces the unreliability of the electoral register and the composition of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni) and the Constitutional Court, two bodies in the hands of those in power.
In this context of distrust towards the electoral process and the political class in general, experts expect a strong abstention which might harm the candidacy of Denis Mukwege.
“Since 2006, the participation rate has only been decreasing. It is very likely that with these logistical problems, illegible voter cards or people who have not been registered, we will have low participation. Furthermore, few concrete answers have been provided at the moment on security issues in North and South Kivu,” indicates Christian Moleka.
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But more is needed to discourage the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite the risks of getting lost in a political race which promises to be as explosive as it is uncertain, Denis Mukwege displays his determination.
“The context is difficult” and “the fraud has been planned for a long time”, estimates Denis Mukwege on France 24, “but there is no question of giving a boulevard to a power which has failed”.
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