Congo Police Crack Down on Protests Over Tshisekedi’s Third-Term Push

Is Tshisekedi’s constitutional push a power grab or a democratic choice that should be left to Congo’s voters?

Published SEP 16

Congo Police Crack Down on Protests Over Tshisekedi’s Third-Term Push

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Above: Demonstrators run during an opposition march in Kinshasa, on Sept. 15. Image credit: Hardy Bope/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

The right to protest exists, but it has to be exercised responsibly, and marches that spread false claims about school closings and defy public gathering limits during the worst Ebola outbreak on record put lives at risk. Police moved in only after protesters and counter-demonstrators clashed with stones and machetes. Letting voters settle the question through a referendum is democracy.

The Straits Times Daily Nation The Washington Times

Government-critical narrative

Congo's constitution caps presidents at two terms for a reason, and rewriting it through a rigged referendum is a power grab masquerading as constitutional reform. Tear gas, warning shots and mass arrests against an authorized, peaceful march show exactly what kind of rule is taking shape. When both the opposition and the influential Catholic Church sound the alarm over democratic backsliding, the country has every reason to be alarmed.

Al Jazeera Polity.org.za ThePrint