Heading For Change
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Heading for Change (, CACH) is a political coalition in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
between
Félix Tshisekedi Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo (; born 13 June 1963) is a Congolese politician who has served as the fifth president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, since 2019. He was the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (Demo ...
's
Union for Democracy and Social Progress The Union for Democracy and Social Progress (, UDPS) is a major political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Founded in 1982, amid the one-party rule of Mobutu Sese Seko and his Popular Movement of the Revolution, it is the co ...
(UDPS) and
Vital Kamerhe Vital Kamerhe Lwa Kanyiginyi Nkingi (born 4 March 1959) is a Congolese economist and politician, currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Economy and the leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) party. He served as the President o ...
's
Union for the Congolese Nation The Union for the Congolese Nation () is a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was founded in 2010 by Vital Kamerhe, who was at the time a close ally of the former president Joseph Kabila. Kamerhe had previously served a ...
(UNC). It was formed in response to the aftermath of multi-day negotiations between seven major opposition parties in
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, including the UDPS and UNC. When, on 11 November 2018, the negotiations made the unexpected choice of Martin Fayulu as their candidate and the formation of the Lamuka ("wake") coalition, rank and file supporters of the UDPS began violent protests in
Limete Limete is one of the 24 communes that are the administrative divisions of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Location Limete is located south of the Pool Malebo between the mouths of the Funa and Ndjili riv ...
, the party's headquarters, with some even threatening to burn down the hq building, in protest of Fayulu's nomination. Similar protests by UNC supporters broke out in the
Stade des Martyrs The Pentacost Martyrs Stadium (French language, French: ''Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte'') (formerly known as Stade Kamanyola), or commonly referred to as the Stade des Martyrs, is a List of national stadiums, national multi-purpose stadium ...
. Succumbing to the pressure, both leaders withdrew their signatures in less than 24 hours, with Tshikendi claiming he had been tricked into voting for Fayulu. Later, on 23 November, in
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, the leaders agreed to create the coalition and support Tshikendi as its presidential candidate. Tshisekedi would go on to win the presidency, despite most independent observers, including the Catholic Church, believing that opposition candidate
Martin Fayulu Martin Madidi Fayulu (born 21 November 1956) is a Congolese politician and businessman. He is the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party. On 11 November 2018, he was chosen by seven opposition leaders to be their joint ...
had actually won in a landslide. They believe that outgoing President
Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila Kabange ( , ; born 4 June 1971) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who served as the fourth President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination o ...
, realising that a chosen successor candidate couldn't credibly win, struck a deal with Tshisekedi to make him president while Kabila governed jointly with him. The coalition only won a minority in the 2018 general election and 2019 Senate election. The uneasy coalition between CACH and Kabila's majority FFC was formalized in March 2019. Much like previous power-sharing deals, the CAHA-FCC alliance proved to be ineffective in providing national security and addressing the economic challenges faced by the country such as its people's poor living conditions. The alliance encountered significant internal conflicts, which emerged when Tshisekedi made critical appointments to military leadership and civilian courts without seeking the endorsement of the FCC, among other points of contention. On 6 December 2020, following extensive consultations with political parties and influential figures, Tshisekedi declared in a national address his intention to break off from the FCC and form a new coalition. After the subsequent four-month-long power struggle, the new coalition, the
Sacred Union of the Nation The Sacred Union of the Nation (; USN) is the ruling parliamentary coalition within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was formed in December 2020 by Felix Tshisekedi following a falling out between the Heading for Change coalition and Jo ...
(USN), was able to take control of the government in April 2021. CACH is a part of the USN. In 2021, the UNC withdrew from CACH and USN meetings in response to Kamhere's sentencing by the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeals to 13 years of forced labor for embezzlement as part of the prefabricated houses component of Tshisekedi's 100 Days program. The UNC saw it as a political plot aimed at removing him from the political scene and especially from the 2023 presidential election. Later, in 2022, in its second appeal decision, the Kinshasa/Gombe Court of Appeals acquitted Kamerhe, saying there had not been enough evidence for a prosecution. On August 19 2023, the UNC nominated Félix Tshisekedi as its candidate for the 2023 election. According to ''Congo Nouveau'', the members of the party justified their decision as a desire to complete all the actions of the joint program designed with its partner UDPS within the framework of the advent of the CACH.


References

{{Reflist Political party alliances in the Democratic Republic of the Congo