President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila gathered his ministers and party officials on Thursday at his farm in Kingakati, at the start of the presidential campaign.
He agreed on last August not to defy term limits by running for re-election, opening the door to the Central African nation’s first democratic transfer of power.
His announcement calmed tensions that have seen dozens of anti-Kabila demonstrators killed by security forces since he refused to step down when his constitutional mandate expired in December 2016.
Kabila is backing Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary in the long-delayed election on December 23. He is standing as the candidate of the Common Force for Congo (FCC), a coalition of ruling parties.