Rodrigue Malanda-Samba, a political adviser to the President of the Republic of Congo, met with emigrants in Paris, as reported by the Agence congolaise d'information. He called on expatriates who fear potential persecution for political activism to return to their homeland and express their position through the electoral process.
"The construction of a unified, dignified, modern, prosperous, just, fraternal, humanistic, and respected nation-state is a utopia that, since the beginning of time, has always been a common ground for peoples striving for a shared future," said Malanda-Samba in his opening address.
Meeting participants questioned the presidential adviser about a general amnesty for political activists whose online rhetoric has led to legal proceedings in Congo. Malanda-Samba noted that no Congolese law provides for preventive detention based on political opinion, provided public order is maintained.
"The courts remain vigilant against the spread of defamatory information or incitement, but civic activism is not a criminal offense," the presidential adviser stated. He added that the mentioned amnesty law could be adopted as a "symbolic tool to build trust," while the main guarantee remains the presumption of innocence.
Malanda-Samba also announced that the government is working on solutions to enable voting from abroad. He stated that the authorities are discussing the possibility of allocating at least two parliamentary seats to the diaspora.
Following the meeting, the envoy promised to establish a task force to develop mechanisms for overseas voting. It will consist of both representatives from the Parisian diaspora and officials from the office of the Congolese President. Their task will be to find solutions to technical obstacles such as the absence of consular voter lists and the secure transportation of ballots.
According to data from the Embassy of the Republic of Congo in France, the Congolese diaspora numbers over 35,000 people.
