National Assembly confirms government composition and action plan; and interlocutory motion by MP Jaynet Kabila passes

As could be anticipated, the National Assembly confirmed the

government's composition and action plan in the plenary session of

Wednesday, May 9.





With 388 MPs present at the moment of the vote, 324 MPs voted aye, and

53 no, the government and its action plan--with 11 MPs abstaining.





Prior to the vote, dozens of opposition MPs left in protestthe

hemicycle of the National Assembly.





Opposition MPs firmly believed that Kabila and Matata had conspired to

have the Finance Minister's status downgraded to a mere "Minister

Delegate, in charge of Finances."





They were therefore demanding that the National Assembly either send

back Kabila and Matata to the drawing board, or take the matter to the

Supreme Court of Justice that would then rule on the consitutionality

of the status of what they saw as the absence of the finance ministry

in the new government.





Matata's response to this objection irked the opposition hardliners in

the National Assembly.





Said Matata:





"[The structure and the composition of the government] are contingent

and respond to the imperatives as well as the constraints of the

moment. [...]





And the presence of a Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in

charge of finances doesn't stem from any subjective consideration, but

rather from a contextualized assumption of responsibility, while

respecting the Constitution and the laws of the Republic."





As a matter-of-fact, the Constitution is mum on the structure and

composition of the government--as Matata pointedly reminded the MPs,

by referring them to Article 90 (Section 5) of the constitution.





Another memorable moment of the plenary session was the interlocutory

motion introduced by the president's twin sister, MP Jaynet Kabila,

following Matata's response to MPs' queries. Her motion, requiring the

government to integrate a national census in its action, was adopted

by the National Assembly. The last countrywide scientific census dates

back to 1984.