By RFIPalled on 27-08-2019Modified on 27-08-2019 at 06:49

The future coalition government of the DRC whose composition was finally unveiled yesterday is the result of seven months of negotiations between the political families of the current and the former president. These negotiations took place in a climate of mistrust that resulted in numerous compromises and a heavy and complex government architecture. To the point that some observers question the effectiveness of the future team that will have to face the emergencies that have accumulated since the inauguration of Felix Tshisekedi.

The size of this government puzzles the observers: 66 positions eventually, including 17 vice-ministers, most of them coming from opposite sides of the incumbent minister. In a balanced concern within the ruling coalition but which some believe may lead to "heaviness" or even "paralysis". Also with the risk of competition between certain departments that have been split in two like that of Foreign Affairs awarded to the UDPS Félix Tshisekedi, who will now have to deal with a Minister of Cooperation and Regional Integration from the opposite camp. A potential source of conflict.

#RDC #Governance: Vice Primaries are attributed to the faithful. Pr @CoalitionCach, Gilbert Kankonde (UDPS, Interior), Jean Baudoin Mayo (UNC, Budget). Pr @ FCC_RDC, Célestin Tunda (PPRD, justice), Willy Ngoopos (PPRD, infrastructures) and Elysée Munembwe (former Quaestor, plan)

Sonia Rolley (@soniarolley) August 26, 2019

A climate of mistrust

Added to this, notes the political scientist Bob Kabamba, the absence in this team of "heavyweights" in favor of inexperienced personalities. A deliberate choice according to this researcher to keep the decision center out of government, directly at the level of the two coalition leaders, Felix Tshisekedi and Joseph Kabila. "The fair share will be left to their cabinets and parallel circuits," also predicts a diplomat not without concern because the length of the negotiations that resulted in this government revealed the climate of "total mistrust" that prevails according to this source between the two partners in power, which could ultimately be one of the main obstacles to the proper functioning of the ministerial team.

No state of grace

But the government will have to get to work quickly because the hot issues on the table are not lacking: the Ebola epidemic , still not under control, the fight against armed groups that continue to flourish in the east of the country and to which Félix Tshisekedi had promised to tackle priority, and at the social level, the free primary school this year.

A promise campaign flagship, but the funding arrangements are still very vague, just days of the start of the season. The name of the new Minister of Education was hardly known yesterday, Monday, that the unions teaching him already called to express their impatience. Like the unions, civil society, invigorated since the departure of Joseph Kabila, has indicated in recent months that it would be on the lookout, and would not hesitate to give voice if necessary on issues of justice, respect for human rights, the fight against corruption and - it is linked - a real improvement in the daily lives of Congolese ...

► See also : New government in the DRC: the incarnation of the "rupture"?

An expensive government to operate

But to meet these commitments, the head of state will have to clean up the country's finances to fight corruption and increase public revenue, which could be complicated without having the hand either on the ministries of finance or on the of Mines, remained in the lap of Joseph Kabila and with a government of 66 members, which alone is likely to engulf a significant part of the state budget.

Valéry Madianga on the entry and exit fees of political staff

27-08-2019 - By Coralie Pierret

Because the operating budget of the ministries may weigh heavily in the state budget. " When you take office, you have entrance fees and when you go out too, " explains Valery Madianga, the communication officer of the ODEP, the Public Expenditure Observatory . " Those who have just left have received exit benefits that represent at least six months of their emoluments. Six million US dollars have been allocated as exit benefits for outgoing ministers ", continues Valery Mandiaga, who also emphasizes the benefits in kind, such as vehicles, traditionally received by ministers and deputies.

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