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The Government: The Democratic Republic of The Congo Background

The Democratic Republic of the Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960 and has had a turbulent political history since, experiencing periods of authoritarian rule and civil war. The current constitution, adopted in 2005, establishes a semi-presidential republic with a president who shares power with a prime minister and a bicameral legislature consisting of a 108-member Senate and 500-member National Assembly. Key branches of government include the presidency, prime minister, parliament, and court system.

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58 views

The Government: The Democratic Republic of The Congo Background

The Democratic Republic of the Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960 and has had a turbulent political history since, experiencing periods of authoritarian rule and civil war. The current constitution, adopted in 2005, establishes a semi-presidential republic with a president who shares power with a prime minister and a bicameral legislature consisting of a 108-member Senate and 500-member National Assembly. Key branches of government include the presidency, prime minister, parliament, and court system.

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keg13
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Government: The Democratic Republic of the

Congo

Background
After many years as a colony of Belgium, the Congo was granted independence in 1960. The first
constitution was written in 1963. Multiple heads of state came to power until 1992. That year
had a new constitution that instituted multi-party elections. In 1997 a brief civil war broke out
and the Fundamental Act suspended the constitution, beginning a period of ethnic and political
unrest. Congo adopted a transitional constitution in 2002, which included a Bill of Rights,
fundamental principles of the Republic, defines the rights and duties of citizens, and the
operating rules of the state. In 2005, a formal constitution was adopted. The president shares
powers with the prime minister and a bicameral legislature. In 2010, the Congo celebrated 50
years of Independence even though there are still issues to be resolved.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is composed of 10 provinces.


The President
The DR Congo President be elected by the majority and may
remain president for up to two 7 year terms. The president
serves as Head of State and whose duties include:
In charge of armed forces as commander in chief.
Appoints officers, ministers, and ambassadors
Negotiates treaties
Ensures compliance with the constitution







Senate
The Senate is comprised of 108 individuals who are elected
indirectly and serve for a total of five years per election. The
Senate has a legislative role in the government and originally had
the task of drafting the new constitution which was later
adopted.
Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is picked from the party or political group
that is in charge of the Assembly. He is a head of the government
and is appointed by the president himself. The Prime Minister
shares leadership of the executive branch power with the
President.


National Assembly
The National Assembly has 500 members who
serve five year terms though they can serve as
many terms as they are elected. The National
assembly is the lower house of parliament and can
remove the president if need be. The National
Assembly can scrutinize bills and decide whether
to pass or veto them.


The Court System
Consisting of nine members who can be
reappointed for every nine year term. The
Constitutional Court monitors the constitutionality of
laws, treaties, and other international agreements.
They hear claims related to elections because they
are the ones that give out the election results.
The Supreme Court is the highest constitutional
authority in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The court takes on the cases that pose a question to
a law that cannot be handled in lower courts. The
Supreme Court is comprised of a Chief of Justice, a
Vice President, and five Chamber Presidents.


First democratically elected President
was Joseph Kabila in 2006
Parliament
The legislature consists of parliament including the upper house
(the Senate) and the lower house called the National Assembly.
Prime Minister
Augustin Matata Ponyo

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