In a high-stakes political maneuver, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has requested parliamentary reconsideration of a contentious bill proposing constitutional reforms via referendum—a move opponents argue could enable him to seek a third term in violation of the 2006 Constitution.

The announcement came on Thursday, August 13, amid escalating tensions with the Coalition Article 64 (C64), a powerful alliance of opposition parties formed in May. C64 had set a deadline of this past Saturday, August 15, to assess progress in political negotiations with the president, warning of mass mobilizations and resistance if the referendum proposal was not withdrawn.

The coalition, led by figures such as Moïse Katumbi’s Ensemble pour la République, condemned the referendum initiative as a blatant attempt to circumvent constitutional term limits. Dieudonné Bolengetenge, C64’s Secretary-General, had declared on August 12 in Kinshasa that the coalition would no longer heed appeals for restraint if Tshisekedi failed to engage in meaningful national dialogue.

While acknowledging the president’s concession as “a small step in the right direction,” Prince Epenge, C64 co-founder, emphasized that the coalition remained steadfast in its demands for the complete withdrawal of the referendum bill.

On August 10, 65 Congolese civil society organizations delivered a memorandum to Tshisekedi and national institutions, urging him to abandon the referendum. In the document, they warned that such a proposal risked “fueling political instability, deepening social divisions, and diverting focus from the nation’s pressing priorities.”

The coalition’s planned march in Kinshasa, originally scheduled for July 22, was postponed following appeals from Catholic and Protestant churches in the DRC, which had called for dialogue over confrontation.