DR Congo: Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Begins Consultations To Form Government

By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman

15 days after her appointment as female Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Judith Suminwa Tuluka is gradually preparing to form her government, so eagerly awaited by the Congolese people. Following talks with members of the presidium of the Union Sacrée de la Nation, the platform that forms the presidential majority in the National Assembly, Suminwa has just begun consultations with political parties and platforms.

These consultations began on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Hôtel du Fleuve with Sama Lukonde, former Prime Minister, and his team, followed by Jean-Pierre Bemba, Minister of Defense and leader of the MLC (Mouvement de Libération du Congo), and Vital Kamerhe of the UNC (Union pour la Nation Congolaise).

According to a press release issued by her office on April 12, Judith Suminwa will be holding consultations with political groups and parties from April 13 to 19.

The head of government therefore has 7 days in which to consult before forming the government. "Don't keep me waiting", she told the members of the presidium of the Union sacrée de la Nation during their discussions last week.

On April 1, Judith Suminwa was appointed Prime Minister by the President of the Republic, Félix Tshisekedi.

ASADHO demands a government of 25 ministers

Through the voice of its president Jean-Claude Katende, the Association africaine de défense des droits de l'Homme (ASADHO), one of the DRC's human rights structures, is not advocating a bloated, budget-hungry government.

ASADHO considers the number of ministers to be "too many" in a country like the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is characterized by "war, corruption and the predation of public finances".

"Reducing the size of the next government to 25 ministries will serve to reduce the budget of the institutions. It's still too much if we already know that today the country is at war and that the war is already mobilizing a large part of public money to make our country safe. And if you take this elephantine government, you also put the budget for the security of the country, the people will find absolutely nothing and we see that we are still dealing with a government of cake sharing, which is not a good thing", declared the president of ASADHO.