Days after an attempted coup, the DRC parliament delays voting to choose a speaker

In a postponed vote, the national assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo elected Vital Kamerhe, whose house was attacked violently on Sunday, as speaker. This is a crucial step toward forming a government five months after a presidential election.

As speaker, Kamerhe becomes the second most powerful person in the Central African nation and a strong supporter of President Felix Tshisekedi.

371 of the 407 parliamentarians who cast ballots on Monday did so in support of Kamerhe’s bid for speaker. The lower house’s six other open seats would also be up for voting by MPs.

The election makes it possible for Congo to form a cabinet, something it hasn’t done since Tshisekedi won a second term in the December 2023 presidential election.

On April 1, Tshisekedi appointed Judith Suminwa as the first female prime minister of the Congo.

Tshisekedi caused the vote to be postponed from May 18, which was the original date.
Congolese security personnel claimed on May 19 that they had thwarted a coup attempt and stopped an attack on Kamerhe’s residence in the heart of the country’s capital, Kinshasa. According to Michel Moto Muhima, a spokesman for Kamerhe, the attack claimed the lives of two guards.

With at least 90% of the 500 elected seats in parliament held by Tshisekedi’s alliance, the Sacred Union, holds a majority.

In 2018, Kamerhe, 65, ran with Tshisekedi for president.
Kamerhe has previously held the positions of deputy prime minister of the economy and chief of staff to Tshisekedi. He was detained in 2020 during a probe into graft.