Opportunities and challenges in the DRC

The report analyzes the fragile political alliance between President Felix Tshisekedi's CACH coalition and former President Joseph Kabila's FCC, which dominates the DRC's parliament. It identifies key priorities for the 2019–2023 period, including reforming the CENI and Constitutional Court, addressing socio-economic needs, and stabilizing the eastern DRC. The author presents several scenarios ranging from a best-case transition to democracy to a fragmentation and chaos scenario, while emphasizing the role of the international community and regional neighbors in supporting transformational change.

• President Felix Tshisekedi's presidency presents an opportunity for better governance in the DRC, driven by the fact that Joseph Kabila no longer holds the presidency, which may make it harder for him to maintain the loyalty of his political coalition.
• Tshisekedi is constrained by a political alliance with Kabila's Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC), which holds a massive majority in the National Assembly (350 seats) and Senate (98 of 109 seats), allowing the FCC to dominate the legislative agenda and government appointments.
• To secure a legitimate victory in 2023, Tshisekedi must drive reforms of key institutions, specifically the Commission electorale nationale et independante (CENI) and the Constitutional Court, as the FCC is unlikely to allow him a second mandate under the status quo.
• The socio-economic situation is dire; while Tshisekedi introduced free primary education in government schools in September 2019, this has led to a crisis where teachers' salaries remain several years in arrears.
• Stabilizing the eastern DRC is complicated by the history of destabilization by Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, and the fact that the Congolese army (FARDC) has struggled to control the territory.
• The CENI lacks independence because its composition is determined by political majorities and because civil society organizations are frequently co-opted or corrupted by the government.
• The report outlines a 'stagnation scenario' where the FCC maintains control of Parliament and the Constitutional Court, preventing real reform and potentially leading to violent crackdowns on a disillusioned population.
• The international community can support transformational change by discreetly assisting with mining sector corruption and urging Joseph Kabila to exit politics in exchange for guarantees against legal prosecution.

APA

Wolters, S. (2019). Opportunities and challenges in the DRC. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/car-15-1.pdf

Chicago

Wolters, Stephanie. Opportunities and challenges in the DRC. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/car-15-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wolters |first1=Stephanie |title=Opportunities and challenges in the DRC |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/car-15-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wolters2019opportunities, author = {Wolters, Stephanie}, title = {{Opportunities and challenges in the DRC}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/car-15-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }