[ De la question de la libre administration des provinces par le pouvoir central en droit Congolais ]
Volume 55, Issue 2, July 2021, Pages 145–156
Jean-Pierre Manga Elongo1 and Christelle Kyalenga Katsuva2
1 Professeur, Département de droit public, Faculté de droit, Université de Kindu, RD Congo
2 Assistante, Département de droit Public, Faculté de droit, Université d’Ikela, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2021 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The constitution of February 18, 2006 organizes the territorial institutions of the DRC by distinguishing between political regions, decentralized entities and deconcentrated entities. The unitary form of the State is affirmed in the functioning of the institutions because all refer to the same and only Constitution which in its article 1 provides: the DRC is a State of law, independent, sovereign, united and indivisible, social, democratic and secular. The DRC is made up of the city of Kinshasa and 25 provinces with legal personality. As said above, the constitution of February 18, 2006 establishes the free administration of provinces and ETDs, their competences and the autonomous management of their resources. The Congolese experience is particularly rich in lessons in terms of management and territorial planning, it is characterized by two aspects; the multiplicity of changes sometimes due to certain contradictions between the different texts and the gap between the texts and the implementation of Decentralization. The main challenge for the central government is to succeed in implementing decentralization, the principles of free administration of provinces according to the vision of the current Constitution aimed at the development of a unitary and highly decentralized State, while ensuring the unity of the country and national cohesion. This is how we have some challenges, in particular the transfer of skills and resources according to a progressive approach with a view to deepening the constitutional provisions on the sharing of resources (human, technical and financial) and of powers between the different levels of communities, the financing of decentralization within the framework of a set of instruments combining local taxation, the retrocession system and the national equalization mechanism for investments aimed at ensuring egalitarian development between the provinces and ETDs. In terms of challenges we can cite in particular for the success of decentralization: the appropriation of decentralization by the actors and the population; the maintenance of peace and security; political will; the involvement of all; the existence of a common vision; national solidarity; progressiveness in the process; good local governance; the financing of decentralization; building the capacities of the various actors and representatives; the organization of provincial, urban, municipal and local elections.
Author Keywords: free, administration, province, power, right, Congo.
Volume 55, Issue 2, July 2021, Pages 145–156
Jean-Pierre Manga Elongo1 and Christelle Kyalenga Katsuva2
1 Professeur, Département de droit public, Faculté de droit, Université de Kindu, RD Congo
2 Assistante, Département de droit Public, Faculté de droit, Université d’Ikela, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2021 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The constitution of February 18, 2006 organizes the territorial institutions of the DRC by distinguishing between political regions, decentralized entities and deconcentrated entities. The unitary form of the State is affirmed in the functioning of the institutions because all refer to the same and only Constitution which in its article 1 provides: the DRC is a State of law, independent, sovereign, united and indivisible, social, democratic and secular. The DRC is made up of the city of Kinshasa and 25 provinces with legal personality. As said above, the constitution of February 18, 2006 establishes the free administration of provinces and ETDs, their competences and the autonomous management of their resources. The Congolese experience is particularly rich in lessons in terms of management and territorial planning, it is characterized by two aspects; the multiplicity of changes sometimes due to certain contradictions between the different texts and the gap between the texts and the implementation of Decentralization. The main challenge for the central government is to succeed in implementing decentralization, the principles of free administration of provinces according to the vision of the current Constitution aimed at the development of a unitary and highly decentralized State, while ensuring the unity of the country and national cohesion. This is how we have some challenges, in particular the transfer of skills and resources according to a progressive approach with a view to deepening the constitutional provisions on the sharing of resources (human, technical and financial) and of powers between the different levels of communities, the financing of decentralization within the framework of a set of instruments combining local taxation, the retrocession system and the national equalization mechanism for investments aimed at ensuring egalitarian development between the provinces and ETDs. In terms of challenges we can cite in particular for the success of decentralization: the appropriation of decentralization by the actors and the population; the maintenance of peace and security; political will; the involvement of all; the existence of a common vision; national solidarity; progressiveness in the process; good local governance; the financing of decentralization; building the capacities of the various actors and representatives; the organization of provincial, urban, municipal and local elections.
Author Keywords: free, administration, province, power, right, Congo.
Abstract: (french)
La constitution du 18 Février 2006 organise les institutions territoriales de la RDC en faisant la distinction entre les régions politiques, les entités décentralisées et les entités déconcentrées. La forme unitaire de l’Etat est affirmée dans le fonctionnement des institutions car toutes se réfèrent à la même et seule Constitution qui en son article 1er dispose: la RDC est un Etat de droit, indépendant, souverain, uni et indivisible, sociale, démocratique et laïc. La RDC est composée de la ville de Kinshasa et de 25 provinces dotées de la personnalité juridique. Comme dit ci-haut, la constitution du 18 Février 2006 consacre la libre administration des provinces et des ETD, de leurs compétences et la gestion autonome de leurs ressources. L’expérience congolaise est particulièrement riche d’enseignement en matière de mode de gestion et aménagement territorial, elle est caractérisée par deux aspects; la multiplicité des changements dus parfois à certaines contradictions entre les différents textes et l’écart entre les textes et la mise en œuvre de la Décentralisation. Le principal défi pour le gouvernement central est de parvenir à mettre en œuvre la décentralisation, les principes de libre administration de provinces selon la vision de l’actuelle Constitution visant le développement d’un Etat unitaire et fortement décentralisé, tout en veillant sur l’unité du pays et à la cohésion nationale. C’est ainsi que nous avons quelques enjeux notamment les transferts de compétences et des ressources selon une démarche de progressivité en vue d’approfondir les dispositions constitutionnelles sur les partages des ressources (humaine, technique et financière) et des pouvoirs entre les différents niveaux des collectivités, le financement de la décentralisation dans le cadre d’un ensemble d’instruments combinant la fiscalité locale, le système de rétrocession et le mécanisme national de péréquation pour les investissements visant à assurer un développement égalitaire entre les provinces et les ETD. En termes de défis nous pouvons citer notamment pour la réussite de la décentralisation: l’appropriation de la décentralisation par les acteurs et la population; le maintien de la paix et de la sécurité; la volonté politique; l’implication de tous; l’existence d’une vision commune; la solidarité nationale; la progressivité dans la démarche; la bonne gouvernance locale; le financement de la décentralisation; le renforcement des capacités des différents acteurs et mandataires; l’organisation des élections provinciales, urbaines, municipales et locales.
Author Keywords: libre, administration, province, pouvoir, droit, Congo.
How to Cite this Article
Jean-Pierre Manga Elongo and Christelle Kyalenga Katsuva, “The question of the free administration of the provinces by the central power in Congolese law,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 145–156, July 2021.
