A decision to push DRC
presidential elections to 2018 is not the answer to the crisis there and risks fueling an escalation in violence, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.
The Constitutional Court in Democratic Republic of
Congo
said on Monday it had approved a petition by the electoral commission to delay a presidential election set for November.
This would allow President Joseph Kabila to remain in office until April 2018.
"There is only way to get out of the crisis and that is that president does not present himself and arranges elections," Ayrault told reporters.
"Pushing back the election to 2018, an uncertain date is not the solution. There is a real risk of a clash. There is a danger of violent demonstrations and repression."
Kabila was due to step down in December when his two-term mandate expires, and his opponents say they fear he intends to first prolong his term in office, and then change the constitution to enable himself to run again.
The ruling coalition and part of the opposition say the vote should be held in April 2018 and on Monday their agreement was ratified by delegates at cross-party talks in the capital, one party leader said.
Most opposition parties have boycotted the talks and called for a general strike on Wednesday to put pressure on Kabila.
European Union foreign ministers said on Monday they would prepare economic sanctions against
Congo
unless it held presidential and parliamentary elections next year.
"We are consulting on what needs to be done and this is one option," Ayrault said, adding that the EU was coordinating with the United States on the matter.
