Constitution: Me Jean Claude Katende accuses Tshisekedi of undermining the rule of law

Me Jean-Claude Katende, president of ASADHO and coordinator of the Council for the Defense of the Constitution, accused Félix Tshisekedi of undermining the Constitution and the rule of law in the DRC after the president’s remarks about the country’s fundamental law. Katende said the president had sworn to respect and protect the Constitution, and described remarks made to Congolese diaspora members in Russia as especially serious and an indirect call for state institutions to support his campaign. He argued that a referendum law passed by both houses grants Tshisekedi powers not provided for in the Constitution to initiate constitutional change for his own benefit. Katende also disputed Tshisekedi’s arguments invoking Article 217 and his claim that the AFC/M23 had demanded that Kinyarwanda become a national language.