KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congo’s opposition coalition picked businessman and lawmaker Martin Fayulu to be its candidate in a December presidential election, it said in a statement.

Fayulu will face President Joseph Kabila’s preferred successor for the ruling party, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari, in Democratic Republic of Congo’s election on Dec. 23.

In power since his father died in 2001, Kabila and the ruling party are unpopular across Congo, especially in the west and the capital Kinshasa, but a weak and divided opposition has so far failed to capitalise on the Congolese’ resentments.

Picking a unified candidate at least gives the opposition someone to rally around.

Kabila surprised a lot of Congolese when he agreed to step aside in August, which would make December’s election, if it goes ahead, Congo’s first peaceful change of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

An opinion poll in July, before Kabila came out to back Ramazani, showed opposition leaders were favored by about 70 percent of voters, but the ruling party enjoys significant financial and institutional advantages.

Several prominent opposition leaders, including former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba and millionaire businessman Moise Katumbi, were barred by authorities from running, decisions the opposition accused of being politically motivated.</s>Geneva (AFP) - Seven opposition leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday picked little known lawmaker Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate for key and long delayed presidential elections at the end of December when Joseph Kabila stands down after ruling the country for 18 years.

Fayulu, the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, will stand against Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardline former interior minister backed by Kabila in the December 23 vote, a statement said after three days of gruelling talks in Geneva.

The opposition leaders meeting in the Swiss city included two heavyweights in former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba and ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi. Both have been barred from standing in the election.

Three others besides the 61-year-old Fayulu had been authorised to contest the poll: Felix Tshisekedi, head of the long-standing UDPS opposition party; Vital Kamerhe, a former National Assembly speaker; and former finance minister Freddy Matungulu.

"I'm sure we will succeed in making our country democratic, free and independent," Fayulu told a news conference after the vote.

"I am only a spokesman for the fight for freedom and democracy," he said.

The choice was a surprise development with Tshisekedi widely regarded as the front runner before the announcement.

The elections are critical for the future of the DRC, a sprawling, mineral-rich country that has never experienced a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Kabila, 47, has been in power since 2001 at the helm of a regime with a reputation for corruption, incompetence and human rights abuses.

His second and final elected term in office ended nearly two years ago, but he stayed in office thanks to a caretaker clause in the constitution.

Months of speculation over his intentions, marked by protests that were repressed at a cost of dozens of lives, ended in August when he threw his weight behind Ramazani Shadary.

On October 25, opposition parties agreed in Johannesburg to name a joint candidate by November 15.

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One of the issues dividing the opposition is the introduction of South Korean electronic voting machines which some say will be used to rig the vote.

Fayulu had said he would not contest if these machines were used, in contrast to Tshisekedi who had said he was willing to take part in the vote even if they were.

After Sunday's announcement Fayulu -- when questioned about this -- said the opposition would "work relentlessly to seek the scrapping" of the machines.

"The battle continues, we want an election without voting machines," he said.

The opposition said a rally would be organised soon in Kinshasa to present their candidate.</s>Main opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, have chosen Martin Fayulu as their candidate for the long-delayed December 23 elections.

The agreement was reached after talks in Geneva under the auspices of the Kofi Annan Foundation. The new coalition is called Lamuka and had seven signatories.

Fayulu and four others are among the twenty-one passed to contest in the elections. The two others are banned former vice-president, Jean Pierre Bemba, and former governor of Katanga Province, Moise Katumbi.

The other members of the coalition are: Vital Kamerhe (UNC), Freddy Matungulu Mbuyamu (CONGO NAS BISO/SYENCO), Adolphe MUZITO (NOUVEL ELAN) and Felix Tshisekedi (UPDS).

“In order to bring this political struggle to a successful conclusion, the Lamuka coalition voted to select Mr. Martin Fayulu Madidi as the common candidate for the presidential election on 23 December 2018,” Freddy Matungulu, a coalition member told reporters after the declaration.

Fayulu, who turns 62 on 21 November, is the president of the opposition party Commitment for Citizenship and Development.

His appointment, greeted by applause and shouts of joy from some of the Congolese present. Others expressed surprised because Félix Tshisekedi, president of the historic opposition party (UDPS) seemed to be the likely candidate.

Fayulu becomes the main opposition candidate to face the ruling party’s candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a former interior minister. He was picked in August after outgoing president Joseph Kabila confirmed that he was not going to seek a third term.</s>It is surprise and surprise in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as seven opposition leaders on Sunday picked little known lawmaker Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate for the country’s long delayed presidential elections which would be held in December. The opposition leaders meeting in the Swiss city of Geneva in fact included two top figures Jean-Pierre Bemba and ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi.

But both have been barred from standing in the election. So, who is Martin Fayulu and what led to his emergence as the opposition’s joint candidate? Africanews Nyasha Mutizwa and Brice Kinhou tell us in this report.</s>KINSHASA: Congo's opposition coalition picked businessman and lawmaker Martin Fayulu to be its candidate in a December presidential election, it said in a statement.

Fayulu will face off against President Joseph Kabila's preferred successor for the ruling party, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari, in Democratic Republic of Congo's election on Dec. 23.</s>KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congo's opposition coalition picked businessman and lawmaker Martin Fayulu to be its candidate in a December presidential election, it said in a statement.

Fayulu will face off against President Joseph Kabila's preferred successor for the ruling party, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari, in Democratic Republic of Congo's election on Dec. 23.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.</s>KINSHASA, Congo — Members of two of Congo's leading opposition parties say they do not back a presidential candidate who was chosen by a coalition.

Opposition leaders gathering in Geneva had chosen Martin Fayulu Madidi to face off against the candidate chosen by longtime President Joseph Kabila's party.

However, the UDPS and UNC parties said Monday they rejected Fayulu as their standard bearer. The statement called the Geneva talks "a joke" and the UDPS called on their president Felix Tshisekedi to withdraw his signature.

Tshisekedi, who was among the four candidates considered, is the son of Congo's late opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.

The opposition parties have said they would back a single candidate to try to defeat ruling party presidential candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary. Kabila, in power since 2001, is not running.</s>Seven opposition leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday picked little known lawmaker Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate for key and long delayed presidential elections at the end of December when longstanding ruler Joseph Kabila stands down.

Fayulu, the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, will stand against Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardline former interior minister backed by Kabila in the December 23 vote, a statement said after three days of gruelling talks in Geneva.

The opposition leaders meeting in the Swiss city included two heavyweights in former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba and ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi. Both have been barred from standing in the election.

Three others besides the 61-year-old Fayulu had been authorised to contest the poll: Felix Tshisekedi, head of the long-standing UDPS opposition party; Vital Kamerhe, a former National Assembly speaker; and former finance minister Freddy Matungulu.

"I'm sure we will succeed in making our country democratic, free and independent," Fayulu told a news conference after the vote.

The elections are critical for the future of the DRC, a sprawling, mineral-rich country that has never experienced a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Kabila, 47, has been in power since 2001 at the helm of a regime with a reputation for corruption, incompetence and human rights abuses.

His second and final elected term in office ended nearly two years ago, but he stayed in office thanks to a caretaker clause in the constitution.

Months of speculation over his intentions, marked by protests that were repressed at a cost of dozens of lives, ended in August when he threw his weight behind Ramazani Shadary.

On October 25, opposition parties agreed in Johannesburg to name a joint candidate by November 15.</s>A Congolese lawmaker Martin Fayulu has been announced as the sole opposition candidate for the December 23 presidential election in the country. This is the choice of the seven main leaders of the opposition after three days of negotiations in Geneva, facilitated by the Kofi Annan Foundation.

We spoke with Tshitenge Lubabu a Congolese political analyst to hear some perspectives on the choice of a little known lawmaker as the candidate of the opposition.</s>The Democratic Republic of Congo's ruling party on Monday acknowledged the opposition's choice of a little-known lawmaker to run for next month's key presidential elections but wondered if he would have enough time to prepare.

Following three days of talks in Geneva to bridge rifts, seven opposition leaders on Sunday picked Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate for the December 23 ballot to replace President Joseph Kabila after 18 years.

"President Kabila's majority takes note of the nomination of MP Martin Fayulu as the joint candidate by a fringe group of the opposition," said Tunda ya Kasende, deputy secretary general of the ruling PPRD.

"I wonder if they will have time to prepare to face our candidate who has a team which has been working for many months," he remarked, saying the PPRD was "not worried" by the choice of Fayulu.

The elections are critical for the future of DRC, a sprawling, mineral-rich country that has never experienced a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Fayulu was one of four opposition candidates who had been authorised by the country's election body to run in the elections but the various opposition groups had decided to try and pool their efforts by agreeing on one candidate.

The choice was a surprise as Felix Tshisekedi, who heads the UDPS which for years has been the main opposition party, had widely been seen as the front-runner.

UDPS secretary general Jean-Marc Kabund said he would address the party about the issue later on Monday.

Fayulu will run at the head of a new opposition coalition called "Lamuka" -- which means "wake up" in both Lingala and Swahili.

He will stand against Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardliner and former interior minister who is backed by Kabila.

The 61-year-old MP, whose Engagement for Citizenship and Development party holds just three seats in the National Assembly, has been at the forefront protest marches opposing Kabila's efforts to remain in power beyond his constitutional term.

A former oil executive who was educated in the United States and France, Fayulu has also emerged as a strident critic of voting machines -- one of the issues dividing the opposition, with critics saying they would leave the ballot open to fraud.

He has threatened to pull out of the race if the South Korean-made electronic devices are brought in for the vote, while Tshisekedi had said he would run whether the machines are used or not.

The issue may have tilted the selection in Fayulu's favour.

Following Sunday's announcement, he vowed to "work relentlessly" for them to be scrapped.
The opposition coalition chooses lawmaker Martin Fayulu, leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, as its joint presidential candidate.