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Democratic Republic of Congo's president is not running again in December's long-delayed elections, easing concerns by the opposition and international community that he would try to stay in power.
A government spokesperson says former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the ruling party's permanent secretary, is the presidential candidate as DRC faces its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power in the country's history.
The announcement comes just hours before the deadline for candidates to register.
Shadary will be the candidate for the recently launched Common Front for Congo. President Joseph Kabila is considered its moral authority, raising concerns that he will retain some control.
Kabila, in office since 2001, by law cannot run again after his mandate ended in late 2016. Elections have been delayed since then, with protests turning deadly.
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