Highlights:

• Vital Kamerhe quit as National Assembly speaker on Sept. 22 after mismanagement accusations.
• President Félix Tshisekedi, speaking from New York, urged institutional stability.
• Jean-Claude Isaac Tshilumbayi takes interim charge pending a new election.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi on Sept. 22 urged calm after National Assembly speaker Vital Kamerhe resigned under pressure from deputies accusing him of mismanagement.

Speaking in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly, Tshisekedi said his role was not to interfere in parliament’s “internal kitchen” but to ensure rights and stability were respected. He called Kamerhe an “ally and brother” and denied any involvement in his departure.

Kamerhe stepped down after petitions from ruling UDPS lawmakers accused him of opacity in fund management. He stated that he had resigned to preserve national cohesion and refocus parliament on key issues, while rejecting the allegations.

Petitions also targeted four other bureau members. First vice-president Jean-Claude Isaac Tshilumbayi will serve as acting speaker until a replacement is elected.

Kamerhe’s Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) is split, while more than 260 deputies, mostly UDPS, had demanded his exit. The crisis comes as fighting intensifies in eastern Congo and the government trims its 2025 budget to 50,691.8 billion Congolese francs.

PM (Ecofin Agency)