DRC: Jean-Pierre Bemba, invested by his party, can he be a candidate?

While temporarily installed in Brussels, waiting to be fixed on his sentence in the case of witness tampering at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo was invested on Friday , by the Mouvement de Libération du Congo (MLC), his party, as a presidential candidate in December 2018. Is there a chance to apply?

Jean-Pierre Bemba, perhaps presidential candidate. Barely acquitted by the ICC, the former vice-president of DRC launches into the electoral race. Since Thursday, his party, the MLC, held its congress . The chairman was not present, he is still in Belgium with his family, released on bail pending to be fixed on his sentence in the case of bribing witnesses who still opposes the ICC. He was nonetheless nominated by his party, which intends to make him the sole candidate of the opposition.

A congress revitalizes its supporters

It is with songs and dances that several hundred MLC activists gathered at the Nganda Center in Kinshasa welcomed the appointment of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo as presidential candidate of December 23, 2018.

And to rebadure his activists, the former Vice President of the Republic addressed himself personally to live telephone support from Brussels. " Once again, a big thank you for the trust you have placed in me. I hope to testify of my person. I hope to see you soon in Kinshasa. Thank you all, see you soon.

The failure of the 2006 presidential election forgotten, the ten years in prison also forgotten, at least tonight, the militants of the MLC are happy. Jeanpy participated in this inauguration ceremony.

In one of their resolutions, the participants in this third MLC Congress reaffirmed their support for the unity of action of the opposition and asked the party to to propose to other opponents the name of Bemba as sole candidate of the opposition

" I believe in the wisdom of the opposition, because if we go in a scattered order, we will lose these elections . Today, Jean-Pierre Bemba represents a solution for the Congolese "says Adolphe Voto, party executive.

So appointed by the MLC, despite his physical absence in the country, Bemba will have to officially submit his candidacy between July 25 and August 8, 2018, as provided by the Electoral Calendar.

What is the Nomination Process?

The Congolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quick to announce it even before the end of the Congress : Jean-Pierre Bemba was issued his diplomatic pbadport. The Congolese opponent had no more valid paper after ten years in prison. But he remains senator. " This diplomatic pbadport, he is entitled to it and it is the president of the Senate who supported his request ," says a Congolese diplomatic source who denies any favor towards the former vice president, while another opposition candidate, Moïse Katumbi, is struggling to get his own.

To return to the Congo, Jean-Pierre Bemba must simply notify the ICC of his change of address, that's what explain the spokesman of the court as his lawyer. " It is feared that the office of the prosecutor does not oppose anyway ," says a former member of his defense team.

Jean-Pierre Bemba must imperatively return to Congo to file himself his candidacy and enlisting is what the electoral code provides in point 9. The fear of the entourage of Jean-Pierre Bemba is that the regime " instrumentalise " the point 10 of the same code which since December 2017 stipulates that is ineligible any person condemned for corruption by an irrevocable judgment.

The Congolese opponent, acquitted for war crimes and against humanity, is condemned for bribing witnesses by the ICC. " But bribery and bribery are not the same thing ", say the supporters of the former Congolese vice-president.

The ultimate obstacle to Jean-Pierre's candidacy Bemba would actually be sentenced to five years in prison for witness tampering. The ICC must always determine his sentence. Despite his ten years in prison, the Congolese opponent could, if the judges follow the recommendations of the prosecutor's office, have to return to serve the remainder of his sentence. The decision could be made either by July 20 or after August 13, the date of judicial vacations in The Hague.