INTERNACIONAL
Congo appoints its first female prime minister as violence surges in the east
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday appointed the country’s first female prime minister, fulfilling a campaign promise and making an important step towards the formation of a new government after being reelected late last year.
Former planning minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka will step into the role at a time of worsening violence in the country’s mineral-rich east, which borders Rwanda. The long-running conflict has displaced more than 7 million people according to the United Nations, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
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Tuluka promised to work toward peace and development in her first speech following her appointment on state television. Still, it could be months before a new government is formed as the process requires intensive negotiations with the many political parties.
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi reviews an honor guard during his swearing-in ceremony for a second term in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. Tshisekedi appointed the country’s first female prime minister on Monday, April 1, fulfilling a campaign promise and making an important step towards the formation of a new government after being reelected late last year. (AP Photo/Guylain Kipoke)
«My thoughts go out to the east and to all corners of the country, which today are facing conflicts with enemies who are sometimes hidden,» she said, referring to the conflict that involves many armed groups including some believed to be backed by Rwanda’s military. «I’m thinking of all these people, and my heart goes out to them.»
Far from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, eastern Congo has long been overrun by more than 120 armed groups seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources as they carry out mass killings.
Both regional and U.N. peacekeepers have been asked to leave Congo after the government accused them of failing to resolve the conflict. Violence has only continued to worsen as the withdrawal of personnel has begun, and as Congolese authorities have moved into their positions.
Bintou Keita, the top U.N. envoy to Congo, told the U.N. Security Council last week that the prominent rebel group known as M23 had made significant territorial gains in the east, which was contributing to the spike in violence and surging numbers of displaced people.
Reelected to a second five-year term in December, Tshisekedi has blamed neighboring Rwanda for providing military support to the rebels. Rwanda denies the claim but U.N. experts have said there is substantial evidence of their forces in Congo.
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The United States last month urged Congo and Rwanda to walk back from the brink of war.
The U.S. State Department also said Rwanda should withdraw troops and surface-to-air missile systems from eastern Congo and criticized M23, calling it a «Rwanda-backed» armed group.
The Rwandan Foreign Ministry said last month that the country’s troops are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a «dramatic military build-up» near the border.
A far-left political coalition that unexpectedly assembled ahead of France’s snap elections is projected to win the majority of parliamentary seats up for grabs and the country’s prime minister has announced his intention to resign – leading the country into unforeseen territory and possible turmoil.
As the election results came in, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced he will be turning in his resignation on Monday.
President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance was projected to take the second most seats, while the far right was projected to come in third.
Macron called the snap election just four weeks ago, after the right-wing National Rally (RN) scored enormous success in the European Parliamentary elections in June. Polling before the first round of voting indicated RN would continue to dominate. However, more recent polling ahead of the runoff indicates those returns have diminished and RN will fall short of a clear majority.
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French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
The first round occurred on June 30 and resulted in just 76 of the 577 constituencies in the French National Assembly determining their representative. Candidates who did not receive an outright majority in the first round of voting went on to a second-round runoff, which happened on Sunday.
Going into the election, France was set to elect the RN as the largest party in government, though it was possible no party might emerge with a clear majority in the tightly contested election.
When the results started to come in, projections changed toward the left, signifying a lack of majority for any single alliance, which threatened to plunge France into economic and political turmoil.
FRANCE’S RIGHT-WING NATIONAL RALLY LOOKS TO SEIZE ON RECENT ELECTORAL GAINS
Far-left La France Insoumise – LFI – (France Unbowed) founder Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers a speech at the party election night headquarters, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
The final results of the election are not expected until late Sunday or early Monday.
Macron made a huge gamble when he called for the snap election, and the projections show the gamble may not have paid off for the unpopular president and his alliance, which lost control of parliament.
While the far-right RN greatly increased the number of seats it now holds in parliament, the results fell short of the party’s expectations.
FRANCE’S GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON IS ATTACKED ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL, DAYS BEFORE DECISIVE ELECTION
Supporters of the Socialist Party react after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, at their election night headquarters in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged Macron to invite the leftist New Popular Front coalition to form a government, given projections that put it in the lead.
Macron’s office said the president would «wait for the new National Assembly to organize itself» before making any decisions.
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French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booth before voting for the second round of the legislative elections in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, July 7 2024. Voting has begun in mainland France on Sunday in pivotal runoff elections that could hand a historic victory to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its inward-looking, anti-immigrant vision — or produce a hung parliament and political deadlock. (Mohammed Badra, Pool via AP)
A hung parliament with no single bloc coming close to getting the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the more powerful of France’s two legislative chambers, would be unknown territory for modern France.
France doesn’t have a tradition of lawmakers from rival political camps coming together to form a working majority.
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The projections, if confirmed by official counts, will spell intense uncertainty for a pillar of the European Union and its second-largest economy, with no clarity about who might partner with Macron as prime minister in governing France.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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