DRC Referendum Bill Moves to Committee Review

The DRC National Assembly has declared admissible a proposed referendum law, sending the text to the Political, Administrative and Legal Committee for further review. The bill, introduced by MP Paul-Gaspard Ngondankoy, seeks to define conditions for organizing referendums in the country.

Ngondankoy argues that the current framework, rooted in a 2005 law, no longer fully reflects the DRC’s constitutional and institutional needs. His proposal aims to clarify voting procedures, validation of results, and dispute mechanisms linked to referendum processes.

The next step is now in the PAJ committee, which has ten days to review the bill and report back to the plenary. That stage will be closely watched because the referendum issue sits inside a broader national debate over constitutional change.

Opposition figures have strongly criticized the initiative. Envol leader Delly Sesanga warned that the bill could create a pathway around constitutional safeguards, while LAMUKA spokesperson Prince Epenge described the move as a “constitutional coup.”

At the center of those concerns is Article 220 of the DRC Constitution, which protects key provisions, including presidential term limits, from revision.

The debate also follows earlier opposition concern over President Félix Tshisekedi’s past calls for constitutional reform, which AP reported had already raised fears about possible changes to term-limit rules.

For now, the bill has not been adopted into law. Its political weight will depend on how the PAJ committee frames the text, whether safeguards are clarified, and how lawmakers address opposition warnings over Article 220.