DRC Court Excludes Bemba from Presidential Election

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s highest court has excluded opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba’s bid to stand in this year’s presidential election.

The President of the Constitutional Court, Benoît Lwamba Bindu, announced the ruling on Monday, 3 September.

Prior to his exclusion, Bemba – formerly the vice-president of the Congo between 2003 and 2006 – was tipped as one of the leading candidates to replace outgoing president, Joseph Kabila, who has held office since 2001.

Bemba declared his candidacy last month for the December elections, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) acquitted him. He was on trial for charges related to war crimes committed in 2003 by his troops in the Central African Republic.

However, Bemba and five co-accused were convicted of bribery, corruption and of coaching 14 defence witnesses in the war crimes trial.

Due to these crimes, the election commission had invalidated Bemba’s candidacy last month, a decision supported by the Constitutional Court.

The ICC will sentence Bemba later this month for bribing witnesses during his trial for war crimes.