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President Joseph Kabila of Congo has decided to step down as president when his current renure ends by the end of the year.
He has announced that he will not stand in the election scheduled for December, finally agreeing to obey a two-term limit. He has however picked a hard-core loyalist, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, to stand instead.
Kabila’s spokesman, Lambert Mende, announced on Wednesday that former interior minister Ramazani would represent Kabila’s ruling coalition in the December 23 vote.
Ramazani, who addressed reporters after filing his candidacy Wednesday afternoon at the headquarters of the national electoral commission in the capital Kinshasa, said: “(Kabila) said there would be no problem. He said there would be no third term. Today, he has kept his promise. It is a great honour for me and, with time, we are going to offer a social programme.”
Kabila was due to step down in 2016 at the end of his constitutional mandate. But the election to replace him was repeatedly delayed and he refused to commit explicitly to not seeking a third term. Violent protests broke out as a result, leading to the killimg of dozens of people by security forces.
Kabila, who came to power after his father was assassinated in 2001, had come under strong pressure from regional allies such as Angola as well as the United States and EU to stand down.
Ramazani, 57, is under EU sanctions for alleged human rights abuses, including deadly crackdowns by security forces on protesters.
Many believe a Ramazani victory would mean a continuation of Kabila’s policies, including a tough stance on the mining sector, where foreign investors hope the government will review the steep tax hikes approved earlier this year.
Congo is Africa’s top producer of copper and the world’s leading miner of cobalt, which is prized for its use in batteries for electric cars and other electronics.