Lamuka opposition coalition warns against ‘two-tier democracy’ in DR Congo

Lamuka, one of the main opposition coalitions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, says the country is sliding into a "two-tier democracy" in which pro-government rallies are tolerated while opposition demonstrations are met with repression.

The comments, reported on May 5 by Africanews and Radio Okapi, came after a pro-UDPS march in Kinshasa and as political tensions remain high over a proposed referendum bill and recent U.S. sanctions on former president Joseph Kabila.

Lamuka spokesman Prince Epenge said opposition protests are routinely met with violence, arrests and bans, while demonstrations by allies of the governing camp proceed under police protection. Radio Okapi reported that Lamuka made the same complaint after the Kinshasa march.

The coalition has already accused lawmakers of trying to weaken the constitution. Le Potentiel reported on April 30 that Lamuka denounced the referendum bill under debate in the National Assembly as a "constitutional coup" and warned it could open the way to changes in presidential term limits. Actualite.cd reported on May 1 that the opposition saw the bill as part of an effort to alter the 2006 Constitution.

The latest dispute adds to a tense political climate in Kinshasa. Reuters reported on April 30 that the United States imposed sanctions on Joseph Kabila, a move that opposition figures have linked to the broader struggle over power and constitutional change.

Lamuka says it plans further mobilization, but the immediate question is whether authorities will allow opposition marches to go ahead without the restrictions the coalition says they have faced so far.