DRC Opposition Calls on People to Stop Recognizing Authority of President Kabila

The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should stop recognizing the authority of President Joseph Kabila as his constitutional mandate had expired overnight, Etienne Tshisekedi, the head of the opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDSP) party, said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Kabila's presidential term expired on Monday. The country's presidential election was initially planned for November 2016, but was postponed.

"I call upon the people of Congo to stop recognizing the authority of Joseph Kabila, and upon the international community to stop communicating with Joseph Kabila on behalf of DRC," Tshisekedi said in a video address to the nation published on YouTube.

Since September, members of the Congolese opposition have been protesting against President Joseph Kabila. They accused him of desire to remain in office and feared that he could postpone election or amend the Constitution in order to cancel the limit on the number of terms a president can serve.

In October, the government made an agreement with part of the opposition to postpone presidential election. According to the agreements, the new election is to take place no later than April 2018. Radical opposition demands resignation of the president.