Passage: A few hours later in flashes on state radio and television the government announced that Mobutu had named the defense minister in the outgoing government, General Likulia Bolongo, to be prime minister. Mobutu declared a state of emergency Tuesday and is now running the government by decree, thus short-circuiting the constitutional debate which had pitted him in a power struggle with Tshisekedi since he appointed the long-term opposition leader premier a week ago.
short-circuiting