DRC petition sets April push for constitutional revision

A petition seeking to open the way for constitutional revision in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it has collected 50,724 signatures and is preparing for an official filing at the National Assembly on April 9, according to a MediaCongo report. Organizers say they now want to push toward the 100,000-signature threshold ahead of that date.

The initiative was presented by Mardochée Nsele, identified as youth leader of the Fidec party, who said the petition was launched under Article 218 of the Constitution. A matching ACP report

also said the organizers plan a public mobilization in Kinshasa on April 9 as they seek to formalize the process before parliament.

The next step will be closely watched because the DRC Constitution sets out how revisions may be initiated, including through a citizen-backed process, while also protecting certain core provisions from amendment.

The revised constitutional text published by the Presidency and other legal references show that Article 218 governs revision procedures, while Article 220 bars changes affecting the number and length of presidential terms.

That legal backdrop is likely to keep the petition at the center of a wider political debate in the weeks ahead, especially as supporters frame the move around security pressures in eastern Congo and the restoration of state authority. The issue has already become a broader public controversy, with Congolese media highlighting competing interpretations of what constitutional change could legally and politically mean.