President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo signalled this week that he would accept a third term in office if asked to do so, and cautioned that continued fighting in the east of the country could make it impossible to hold the next presidential election on schedule in 2028.
The Congolese constitution currently limits presidents to two five-year terms. Mr Tshisekedi was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in a poll that observers said was marred by logistical failings. Allies have circulated draft proposals to amend the basic law.
Opposition leaders, human-rights groups and the Catholic Church have criticised the talk of constitutional change, warning it could trigger fresh political instability in a country whose mineral wealth supplies global markets for cobalt and copper.
Mr Tshisekedi cited the war in North Kivu and Ituri, where the M23 movement and other armed groups remain active, as evidence that organising a national vote on time may not be possible. He said he would prefer a unified national-dialogue approach to any extension.
Regional diplomats said Rwanda-DRC tensions remain unresolved despite a Washington-brokered framework signed last year. UN officials estimate more than 7 million people remain displaced inside the country, the largest internal-displacement caseload in Africa.
A Tshisekedi adviser told local media the president had not made a final decision and that "all institutional options" were on the table.