DR Congo’s Martin Fayulu: Presidential Contender Out For Revenge
Martin Fayulu’s supporters call him DR Congo’s president-elect, arguing he was the real winner of the 2018 vote rather than Felix Tshisekedi who came to power after the bitterly disputed election.
The 67-year-old initially held off announcing his fresh bid for the top job, claiming the dice would be once again loaded for the December 20 elections.
« In the absence of a credible electoral roll, audited by an independent body, we will not submit our candidacy documents, » Fayulu said in July.
He confirmed, however, he would stand again in late September, although many of his supporters have ended up not running in parliamentary and local elections, due to be held at the same time as the presidential race.
Out of the vast central African nation’s nearly 44 million voters, Fayulu claims that 10 million will be « fictional ».
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« This time, it won’t happen… we must mobilise to stop it becoming an electoral parody, » he said.
Analysts say Fayulu remains popular but that his procrastination and attitude may lose him popularity points among Congolese voters.
Five years ago, the former executive of oil major ExxonMobil appeared an outsider.
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But six weeks before the vote, the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party (ECIDE) was chosen by several opposition contenders as their lead candidate.
Fayulu came second, with 34.8 percent of the vote behind Tshisekedi who was declared winner with 38.5 percent.
Denouncing an « electoral coup », Fayulu said he had won 61 percent but was denied victory thanks to a back-room deal between ex-president Joseph Kabila and Tshisekedi.
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France’s foreign minister at the time Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke of « a kind of African-style compromise ».
Tshisekedi, who is running for a second term, denies any « fraudulent arrangement » struck with his predecessor.
In a video message released in September, Fayulu brought up the 2018 ballot again, referring to the « biggest African electoral hold-up of the century ».
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Born in Kinshasa when it was still known as Leopoldville, Fayulu is married with three children.
He studied economics in France and the United States before joining ExxonMobil in the 1980s where he rose through the ranks during a two-decade career at the company.
Today, he owns a small hotel in Kinshasa which is a popular wedding venue and backdrop for the opposition contender’s press conferences.
Fayulu entered politics in the early 1990s and won election as an MP for the first time in 2006.
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