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Congo Assembly Clears Way for Kabila Presidency
The Congolese parliament has cleared the way for Joseph Kabila to succeed his slain father as president of Africa's third largest country.
Philimene Omatuku, interim president of the assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said the swearing in would be on Thursday. Other officials said it was likely to be at the Palace of the Nation where President Laurent Kabila was laid to rest on Tuesday.
The 245 deputies in the assembly on Wednesday unanimously approved Joseph Kabila to lead the mineral-rich country, which has been beset by conflict since his father joined a bush war in 1996 and ended the rule of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko the following year.
"Many deputies, by themselves and in groups, had already demonstrated the same desire to make Major-General Joseph Kabila the head of state," Omatuku told the parliament, whose members were picked by the government and the elder Kabila.
Joseph, the 31-year old army commander, was chosen by the government last week to succeed his father, who was shot by one of his own bodyguards and died despite emergency medical treatment in Zimbabwe.
Suspicions that Congo's enemies were involved in a plot to kill Kabila were raised on Wednesday by an adviser to the president-designate.
"Some ramifications that we have discovered after the first questionings show that a foreign hand, an enemy hand, cunningly prepared the assassination," Constantin Nono Lutula told reporters in Togo.
He gave no further details after meeting Togo's President Gnassingbe Eyadema, current chairman of the Organisation of African Unity.
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