Records from the 1984 census, courtesy Prof Grégoire Kankwanda
In the wake of the Blaise Compaoré's precipitous fall from power, foreign diplomats in Kinshasa report that President Joseph Kabila told his staff to put a lid on campaigning for changing the constitution. After all, it was a very similar campaign that proved Compaoré's undoing. The unrest in Burkina was only the final straw: Kabila has been facing substantial pushback from the Catholic church, foreign diplomats, and even members of his own ruling coalition on this matter.
But, even if true, this does not mean that Joseph Kabila has committed himself to stepping down in 2016. Many commentators--see Gérard Gerold here, or Vital Kamerhe here--think that Kabila might chose to sidestep controversy and simply delay the holding of presidential elections.
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