The Third Republic
SummaryThe Democratic Republic of the Congo has been under the Constitution of the Third Republic since 2006. This is a decentralized, semi-presidential republic that gives provinces autonomy. There are the three branches of government - executive, legislative and judiciary.
The Executive BranchNationalThe executive branch is composed of a President and a prime minister. The president selects the prime minister from the majority party in parliament. A “Government Former” may be appointed if there is no clear majority, yet they must be supported by the General Assembly. The president appoints ministers that the prime minister recommends, and the Prime minister works with the lower House of Parliament, the National assembly.
ProvincialIn the provincial legislature, there is an elected governor. This is a government of up to ten ministers. The governor is controlled by the Provincial assembly, but there is no federal State government. The division between prime minister and the President creates friction if they are from opposite parties. In January 2015, Congolese protests broke out after a drafted law that would extend the presidential term limit. Joseph Kabila could thus run again for office.
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The Legislative BranchUnder the new Constitution, the Legislative Branch is a Bicameral Parliament (composed of an Upper and Lower House) composed of the National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly is the lower and the most powerful house where members are elected directly by the population. In the Senate, however, members are elected by the legislatures of 26 provinces.
The Judicial BranchThe Judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court and handles federal crimes under the new constitution.
Administrative OrganizationThe administrative divisions under the new Constitution include 25 provinces. These are Bas-Uele, Équateur, Haut-Lomami, Haut-Katanga, Haut-Uele, Ituri, Kasaï, Kasaï oriental, Kongo central, Kwango, Kwilu, Lomami, Lualaba, Lulua, Mai-Ndombe,Maniema, Mongala, North Kivu, Nord-Ubangi, Sankuru, South Kivu, Sud-Ubangi, Tanganyika, Tshopo, and Tshuapa. The one city is Kinshasa.
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