On Thursday, August 13, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) requested a parliamentary reconsideration of the law governing conditions for organizing a constitutional reform referendum. This move comes amid escalating pressure from the Article 64 Coalition (C64), a united front of major opposition political forces formed in May.

The coalition argues that the proposed referendum, championed by the ruling party since 2024, is a calculated strategy to enable Tshisekedi to pursue a third term—a move prohibited by the 2006 Constitution.

The day before, on August 12 in Kinshasa, Dieudonné Bolengetenge, Secretary-General of Ensemble pour la République and spokesperson for C64, warned that the coalition would no longer tolerate delays. He declared they would escalate mobilizations if the president failed to initiate genuine national dialogue.

The coalition had set Saturday, August 15, as a deadline to assess progress in political talks with the president. They called on citizens to “mobilize and resist” if the parliamentary review of the referendum bill was not halted, as reported in May by local media.

A measured concession

While Tshisekedi’s concession falls short of the coalition’s full demands, Prince Epenge, C64 co-founder, described it as “a small step in the right direction.”

A march originally planned for July 22 in Kinshasa by C64 was postponed following appeals from Catholic and Protestant churches in the Congo. The religious leaders urged political actors to prioritize dialogue over confrontation.

Beyond C64, 65 Congolese civil society organizations sent a memorandum to the president and key national institutions on August 10. They urged Tshisekedi to abandon the referendum initiative, warning that it could “further inflame political tensions, deepen social divides, and divert institutions from addressing the nation’s core priorities.”