DRC: Jean-Marc Kabund formalizes his resignation from the vice-presidency of the Assembly
Jean-Marc Kabund (right), January 20, 2019, is at the center of a governance crisis at the UPDS when he took over as head of the presidential party.
AFP PHOTO/ Caroline Thirion
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-Marc Kabund leaves his post of first vice-president of the National Assembly.
The deposed former president of the presidential party UDPS, sent an official letter explaining that he was leaving office "
for reasons of political conviction
".
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Jean-Marc Kabund had already announced that he was leaving office.
It was on his Twitter account more than two and a half months ago, but he had never taken the plunge.
This time, when he had just returned to the country after several weeks of absence for treatment in the United Kingdom, he formalized his departure.
A new stage in the fall of the one who, in January 2019, after the election of Félix Tshisékédi, had carved out a share of choice at the heart of power by taking the reins of the presidential party.
In the Assembly, while the head of state did not have a majority, Jean-Marc Kabund had led the showdown with the dominating camp of former President Joseph Kabila.
Openly contested authority
But tensions quickly arose internally, within the UDPS itself, until a
fringe openly challenged its authority
.
Some have accused him of authoritarian methods, others of being arrogant with the head of state, and still others of not preparing enough for the 2023 elections.
A violent incident, at the beginning of the year, between his security service and the presidential guard which led to the ransacking of his villa, may have been one case too many.
In any case,
his fall was therefore brutal
.
At the end of January, Jean-Marc Kabund was
removed from his post as president
of the UDPS and expelled from the party, after being accused of fraud, corruption, extortion or even physical and verbal violence.
Since then, his position in the Assembly had become untenable.
He just threw in the towel.
Here he is now, simple deputy.
On this day, I resigned from my position as 1st Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
pic.twitter.com/EBT66wqgSv
— Jean-Marc KABUND-A-KABUND (@kabund_jmkkrock) March 31, 2022
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ground floor
Felix Tshisekedi