Kinshasa---The Democratic Republic of Congo's Senate on Friday backed down on an electoral bill that triggered deadly protests in Kinshasa, with foes of President Joseph Kabila fearing it would prolong his term in office.
The 80 senators present unanimously passed an amendment to the most contested part of the planned legislation, already approved by the lower house of parliament, that would have delayed 2016 polls by making them depend on a prior census.
After the Senate vote, a joint commission of both houses met to find a consensus on the bill, which initially led opposition parties to urge massive protests in Kinshasa, a teeming tropical capital of nine million.
All week long, security forces cordoned off the parliament building known as the People's Palace.
But protestors violently clashed with armed police between Monday and Wednesday, at a cost of 42 lives according to the International Federation for Human Rights. The government said 12 people were killed, including a policeman and 11 "rioters" shot by private security guards.
Failing agreement on the amended bill by the joint commission, the lower house National Assembly has the last word on the law, but the aim of the meeting between Senators and MPs is to come up with legislation for a final vote on Saturday.
Kabila, who was first propelled into office in 2001 while warfare ravaged the vast central African country, has twice been elected president, in 2006 and 2011. His constitutional mandate ends late next year after two five-year terms, but his re-election in 2011 was strongly disputed amid allegations of fraud.
Veteran politician Vital Kamerhe, head of the third opposition party, the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC), declared himself "satisfied" by Friday's Senate vote, but declined to "cry victory" at this stage of the process.
The main change made by a Senate commission stated that "the updating of the definitive electoral roll on the basis of available demographic data be done with respect for constitutional and legal deadlines" regarding every kind of election.
Kinshasa was calm while parliament debated.
Kamerhe said that the next battle would be to obtain a "global electoral timetable", since a range of polls are due to be held this year ahead of the presidential and parliamentary vote.
Donor nations have been asking for an electoral timetable for months, in order to consider what financial support they might provide to help organise the polls.
AFP
