Lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have passed a historic no confidence vote on Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba, effectively removing him from power.
Embattled Ilukamba, who was not present at the parliament’s plenary session in the Kinshasa chambers, has been given 24 hours to resign.
The lawmakers accuse Ilukamba, an ally of former President Joseph Kabila, and his ministers of poor performance. The dismissal follows a motion of no confidence filed against the prime minister and his incapability to manage the country since the installation of the government seven months after President Felix Tshisekedi assumed leadership of the country.
This prolapse in government paves the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to appoint loyalists as ministers.
Only last month, Tshisekedi ended a coalition formed with his predecessor, whose allies dominated key ministries.
Since then, Tshisekedi has been persuading MPs to defect from Mr Kabila’s alliance, which previously held the majority in parliament, stalling the president’s reform programme.
This will be the first time in DR Congo’s 60-year history that a government is being forced to resign.
The vote to dismiss the government took place in the absence of the prime minister, who refused to respond to the invitation of the provisional office of parliament.
The prime minister’s impeachment garnered a large majority of votes in the absence of MPs loyal to ex-President Joseph Kabila who decided not to take part in the vote.
According to members of the Front Commun pour le Congo (FCC, a pro-Kabila party), the provisional office does not have the capacity to organise the vote, going by the constitution.
In a letter addressed to members of the provisional office of parliament and to deputies on Wednesday morning, Sylvestre Ilunga stressed that the proceedings against his government have violated the country’s constitution and the rule of law.
Appointed by the president in May 2019, Ilunkamba was the head of the coalition government set up by ex-president Joseph Kabila and Felix Tshisekedi to govern together after the elections at the end of 2018.
Felix Tshisekedi has since December 2020, announced the end of the coalition and begun a series of consultations to find a new majority in parliament.
He accuses Joseph Kabila’s former partners of wanting to sabotage his action as the head of the country since his inauguration.