With its unassailable decisions, the Constitutional Court has concluded the hearings on the disputes begun on February 5, 2024, with 1300 petitions reviewed on its table. In this month of March, when women around the world are honored, it is time to dedicate subjects related to the celebration of women's rights. In total, there are more than 60 women elected in the various electoral constituencies of the country. The majority of them attended the inaugural extraordinary session of this 2024-2028 legislature, before the definitive proclamation of the results by the Constitutional Court, which took place on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

Indeed, the Tshopo province, which counts within the National Assembly three women elected namely Ma Elly Ichwama Litoka Elysée, elected from the Opala territory in Tshopo province on behalf of AFDC-A; Moleko Moliwa Anastasie from the Basoko territory for AFDC-A, and Bazaiba Masudi Ève in Basoko for MLC, now has another elected official, Madeleine Nikomba, replacing Theoveul Lotika. These figures are those of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) sent to the national assembly which proceeded to the roll call of the national elected representatives on Monday, January 29, 2024, during the inaugural session of the fourth legislature. Thus, the honorable Ichwama Litoka Elysée Ma Elly features prominently on the definitive list of the 490 deputies elected in the elections of December 20, 2023.

The former governor of Tshopo, for her part, was retaken by the high court and thus definitively proclaimed elected national deputy of Kisangani by virtue of the judgment rendered on Tuesday; Madeleine Nikomba Sabangu replaces Lotika Theoveul, who already sat in the General Assembly as a national deputy.

Mrs. Nikomba is now one of the 46 newcomers to the lower house of parliament, replacing those who were already seated before their invalidation. Madeleine Nikomba's petition was declared admissible and well-founded, following the judgments of the Constitutional Court on the disputes over the results of the national legislative elections of December 20, 2023. Clearly, the judgments of the Constitutional Court had been awaited by the informer Augustin Kabuya to complete his mission on the identification of the majority coalition at the National Assembly with a view to forming the next government.

As a reminder, the registry of the Constitutional Court enrolled 1123 cases for the entire Republic. After examining a sample of some appeals due to their complexities, it acknowledged 21 withdrawals. It declared 525 cases inadmissible and 400 cases admissible but unfounded. All these judgments are fully written and reasoned with the possibility of being consulted at the registry, said the judge Dieudonné Kamuleta Badibanga, before delivering judgments for illustrative purposes.

The parliamentary session was initially scheduled for March 15, 2024, marking the start of a new legislature and the opening of debates on various current social issues. On Saturday, March 9, 2024, a special commission chaired by Jacques Djoli was tasked with drafting the internal regulation of the 4th legislature. This commission concluded its work and adopted a final report containing 289 articles. This is a step that now allows the document to be examined by the provisional office before being submitted for approval by all deputies in plenary.

The configuration of the National Assembly is definitively officialized. Few appeals were validated after the unveiling of the final vote count proclaimed by CENI. Of the 1,123 petitions, only 46 were judged to be well-founded. In total, 46 deputies among the 477 elected were invalidated. They will automatically be replaced in the Assembly by new entrants. Among those retaken by the Constitutional Court are three government members, two provincial governors including Madeleine Nikomba (Tshopo province), and personalities such as the former Prime Minister Sammy Badibanga and the former head of the Central Bank of Congo, Jean-Claude Masangu.

During the hearing, all the enrolled, instructed, and pleaded cases were pronounced on Tuesday, March 12. Thus, the definitive list of national deputies called to sit in the hemicycle was unveiled. The judgments of the Constitutional Court being non-appealable, the pronouncement of the high Court thus closes the chapter of electoral disputes. Following the legislative elections of December 2023, about one thousand five hundred (1500) petitions were filed with the Constitutional Court. This step certainly helped to accelerate the process in the imminent appointment of a Prime Minister and the formation of the government.

The Constitutional Court proclaimed 46 deputies definitively elected, resulting in the replacement of 42 who are still sitting on some fifty cases declared admissible and well-founded.

With its judgments rendered at its public hearing this Tuesday, it acknowledged 21 withdrawals and declared 525 cases inadmissible, 400 cases admissible but unfounded. Two members of the provisional bureau of age of the National Assembly, Agée Matembo and Bahati fils, saw their ballots annulled in favor of new entrants to the lower house of Parliament.

Among the personalities definitively proclaimed elected are also:

José Mpanda from the A24 group replacing Jacques Ngandu of AFDC-A for the Mbuji-Mayi constituency

Alexis Gizaro of the UDPS-Tshisekedi against Delphin Kamanda of the same party for the Uvira constituency

Amisi Singoma of the UDPS-Tshisekedi at the expense of Mirindwa Mwamisi of the AAC grouping

Emedi from Ensemble pour la République replaces Pascal Tutu Salumu in the Kabare constituency.

Adèle Kayinda of ALDEC in the Sandoa constituency in Lwalaba

Modero Nsimba in Muanda replacing Robert Nyombo

Jean-Marie Kabengela Ilunga replacing Séraphine Kitubu for Tshangu.

The Alliance for the Rule of Law, with Masangu Mulongo, prevails over APIN-AB of Lombo wa Banza in the Malemba-Nkulu (Haut-Lomami) electoral constituency.

Maizana of MLC replaces Papy Nzobo for the Bolomba electoral constituency.

Other elected officials are: Gilber Kankonde, Samy Badibanga, Claude Nyamugabo, Nazem Kazembe (for Lubumbashi) and Kindundu from Bulungu replacing Cléophas Munganga. The Court partially corrects the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of January 13th. It thus closes the examination of result disputes by delivering a single judgment proclaiming the national deputies definitively elected.

La Rédaction