Why African Union Must Respect Congo's Sovereignty and Constitutional Court Process

Felix Tshisekedi was declared victor by Congo’s election commission.

I read with concern the Communique issued by the AU after high level consultations in Addis Ababa yesterday regarding the outcome of the elections in the DRC.

The AU is sending a high level delegation to the DRC to consult with all parties so as to arrive at an amicable solution to the electoral impasse currently being handled by the Judiciary in accordance with the DRC election laws and procedures.

While the AU high level delegation is a welcome move, it should respect the sovereignty of the DRC as well as her constitutional provisions regarding elections. Hence the court process should be given a chance while negotiations are going on.

We ourselves have systematically appealed to the leading political actors to embrace an all inclusive national democratic government for a specified period of time so as to put in place much more sustainable institutions that will guarantee the DRC people democratic governance.

It would be very unfortunate were the AU team to advocate the nullification of the elections with the view of repeating the process for what the AU may perceive as better results.

Whatever the shortcomings of the just concluded elections, and given the conditions in the country, building a consensus on an inclusive government is currently more preferable than any other option.

Prof. P. Anyang’ Nyong’o