Kinshasa, September 9th, 2026 (CPA): – A proposal has been made to postpone the opening ceremony of the parliamentary session, scheduled for September 15th at the People’s Palace, to 6.00 pm local time, due to protests announced by a faction of the opposition that have boycotted the national dialogue, according to a letter consulted on Wednesday. “I request that the formal opening ceremony of the ordinary session of the National Assembly on September 15th, 2026, be held in the evening, starting at 6.00 pm, rather than at the usual times during the day,” has written the Member of Parliament and interim president of the presidential party, Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Augustin Kabuya, in his letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly. In his letter signed on September 7th, 2026, the MP for Mont-Amba has justified his request on the grounds of security and precautionary measures. He has referred to street demonstrations announced on the same day by certain opposition political groups, which, according to the information in his possession, might be centred on the People’s Palace. “Whilst not disregarding the right of every Congolese citizen to engage in such activities, which are, moreover, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic, there is cause to be concerned about the risk of tensions, provocations or confrontations with the people’s representatives on their way to Parliament”, he has highlighted. Augustin Kabuya has estimated that the coincidence of these demonstrations with the reopening of Parliament could compromise the serenity of the ceremony. He also suspects that the situation could be exploited for political ends, which might divert attention from the institutional nature of the event. “From political experience, such a situation could be exploited to undermine the serenity of the day, the dignity of the honourable Members of Parliament, and the solemn nature of the parliamentary session’s reopening,” he has emphasised. In his view, holding the event in the evening will enable the constitutional and statutory date for the parliamentary session to be observed, whilst reducing the risk of confrontation and facilitating the deployment of appropriate security measures around the People’s Palace. The decision on any change to the timetable now rests with the Speaker of the lower house of Parliament, to whom the letter has been addressed, with copies sent to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers in charge of the Interior and Defence, the Governor of Kinshasa and the Mayor of Lingwala.
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