Félix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2019, has publicly declared his willingness to seek a third term in office — provided Congolese citizens call for it through a constitutional referendum. Speaking at a three-hour press conference in the capital Kinshasa on Wednesday, Tshisekedi said plainly: "If Congolese people ask me to come back to the front, I am at their disposal." He added that any change or revision to the constitution "will never happen without consulting the population, by referendum."

The DRC's current constitution limits presidents to two terms, and its Article 220 — which enshrines those term limits — has long been considered untouchable. The push to revise it has been championed by Tshisekedi's party, the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress), and has drawn sharp criticism from the country's influential Catholic and Protestant churches, which have warned against any tampering with those provisions. What was notable about Wednesday's remarks was the introduction of a new argument: Tshisekedi suggested that a partnership recently concluded between Washington and Kinshasa itself requires constitutional reforms, implying that pressure for change is coming not only from domestic political circles but also from abroad.

Tshisekedi also raised the possibility that the elections scheduled for 2028 may not be held if the armed conflict in eastern DRC — where fighting has displaced millions and destabilised entire provinces, including North and South Kivu — continues. Drawing a parallel with Ukraine, he argued that holding credible elections while large parts of the country remain under conflict conditions would be impossible. Critics, however, were quick to point out the contradiction: if elections cannot be organised due to the war, neither, they argued, can a referendum.

Opposition figures responded with alarm. Claudel-André Lubaya, a former member of parliament now living in exile and associated with ex-president Joseph Kabila, accused Tshisekedi of announcing his intention to violate the constitution outright. "No provision of the constitution foresees that a so-called popular will can justify a violation of its letter and spirit," Lubaya said, adding that the president had "officially announced his desire to rebel against the fundamental law."

The stakes are considerable. The DRC, a vast country in central Africa and one of the continent's most resource-rich nations, has a troubled history with political transitions and constitutional integrity. Any move toward extending Tshisekedi's rule would likely intensify domestic tensions at a moment when the country is already grappling with an ongoing humanitarian crisis in its east. Whether the referendum path Tshisekedi outlined is legally or logistically viable — particularly given the conflict he himself cited as an obstacle to elections — remains deeply contested.