In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the campaign for the presidential election scheduled for December 20 continues under tension. The authorities refused to allow opponent Martin Fayulu to organize his end-of-campaign meeting at the Stade des Martyrs, the largest in the country. The presidential candidate intended to make a show of force, but the Ministry of Sports rejected the request and the opponent believes that the reasons are fallacious.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
To reject the request to rent the stadium, Minister of Sports Kabulo Mwana Kabulo, mentions “inspection work” underway in the 80,000-seat stadium for the organization of the 2027 African Games.
“ We have a lot of constraints with the Stade des Martyrs, he says. We have problems with staining, faucets, toilets that are completely clogged, protection of the lawn. All Congolese have the right to this stage if it is available. There’s no point in creating unnecessary controversy. There are enough spaces available in Kinshasa, a leader who cares about his meeting cannot miss a place. I gave the same answer to others who requested the stadium for their meeting such as the governor of Kinshasa, major sports clubs and others.. »
Offshoring
The stadium will not be available until the beginning of January, according to the minister. The camp of Martin Fayulu replica. “ The fallacious and bogus political reasons that are put forward do not hold water, declares Prince Epenge, its spokesperson. Mr. Félix Tshilombo held his meeting at the Stade des Martyrs barely 12 days ago. We did not mention these fallacious reasons. This is a double standard. In reality, they are afraid that Martin Fayulu will flaunt all his popularity. These are political maneuvers which consist of preventing certain candidates, mainly Martin Fayulu, from holding his meetings, from meeting the Congolese. »
At the end of a crisis meeting on Tuesday, Martin Fayulu and his teams decided to relocate the meeting. It will be held at Place Sainte-Thérèse, in the heart of the popular commune of N’djili. A relocation which demonstrates the tensions in which this campaign is taking place. Martin Fayulu had already accused the government of preventing him from campaigning by requisitioning all kerosene stocks at airports. An accusation rejected by the authorities.