Citizen Front 2016, a new platform fighting against the presidential term was born last weekend.

Incumbent President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing an uphill task as debates over his ambition to run for the third term in the country’s 2016 presidential election intensify.

Leaders of some civil society organizations and opposition political parties last weekend created “Citizen Front 2016”, a new organization whose objective is to stop President Kabila from running for the third term in the presidential election. RFI reported that over 30 representatives of civil society organizations and political parties endorsed the creation of the body in the locality of Gorée. The different groups opposed to the third term have set out to synergize their forces, so as to also ensure the respect of the electoral calendar. Their key objective is to ensure that the country’s constitution adopted 10 years ago is respected.  Citizen Front 2016 has called on government to publish the consensus electoral calendar on January 31, 2016 and start voters registration on February 10, 2016. The structure gives February 16 as the deadline for the start of the registration operation.

Martin Fayulu, president of the civil society organization, Commitment for Citizenship and Development (ECiDé), after penning his signature said the body was important as politicians alone could not succeed. He said civil society organizations have proven in other countries that they could assemble everybody thereby avoiding the egos of politicians.

The political atmosphere in the country is restive as Kabila’s People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) on Friday, December 18 also organised a series of activities to wake up its supporters to face any possible uprising from opposition parties. Henri Mova Sakanyi, PPRD’s Secretary General said they must ensure that future perpetrators of upheavals fail. This has to be done by preparing the grassroots structures to be alert against destabilizing speeches.