Congo president suspends installing senators after violence

Published March 18, 2019

Congo's interior minister says the president has suspended installing newly elected senators after weekend protests led to violence that killed at least one person.

Interior Minister Basile Olongo said Monday that President Felix Tshisekedi has also postponed governor elections set for March 27. He made the decision after meeting with the chief of the National Assembly, the president of the outgoing senate, the prime minister and foreign and interior ministers.

Tshisekedi said the suspension is meant to give prosecutors time to investigate allegations that local deputies were corrupted by candidates for senate seats.

Members of Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress party demonstrated Saturday after the party failed to win any senate seats from Kinshasa in the regional assembly. While voters elect regional deputies, senators are then chosen by the deputies.

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