Kinshasa, March 30th, 2026 (CPA).– Only one candidate, Basengezi Kantintima, remains in contention for the position of Second Vice-President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following the withdrawal of Senator Françoise Bemba Ndokwa of the Congo Liberation Movement, according to correspondence consulted Monday by CPA. “I have the duty to notify you of the withdrawal of the candidacy of Honorable Françoise Bemba Ndokwa, submitted for the position of Second Vice-President of the Senate on behalf of the Majority by the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC),” read the statement signed by Fidèle Babala, Secretary-General of the party.“This withdrawal is motivated by the MLC’s commitment to support the line of the Sacred Union of the Nation,” he added.
Commission to examine candidacies to be installed Tuesday
Meanwhile, a plenary session to establish the commission tasked with examining candidacies for the position of Second Vice-President of the Upper House has been scheduled for Tuesday in Kinshasa, according to a statement received Monday by CPA. “This Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 at 1:00 p.m., a plenary session will be held with two items on the agenda: examination and adoption of the bill extending the state of siege in part of the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the establishment of an ad hoc commission tasked with examining candidacies for the position of Second Vice-President of the Senate,” the statement read, signed by Néfertiti Ngudianza, Rapporteur of the Senate. In a previous statement, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, President of the Upper House, referring to Article 28, paragraph 1 of the Senate’s Rules of Procedure, recalled that applications for this position must be submitted to his office at the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.
He emphasized that applications must comply with the criteria set out in the Senate’s Rules of Procedure, including education, experience, credibility and integrity. According to him, any application submitted after the prescribed deadline will be declared inadmissible. To be admissible, each application must include the required documents: a letter of submission, a letter of consent signed by the candidate’s political party or grouping (except for independent candidates), a passport-sized photograph, and a detailed curriculum vitae ending with the statement: “I swear on my honor that the above information is true and accurate.” The electoral calendar provides for the installation and election of the Second Vice-President of the institution on April 3rd, 2026.