Congo Says Religious Groups Can Seek Office

This nominally Marxist government says it will let faith healers, handicapped people and members of religious groups seek parliamentary seats for the first time in elections this month.

Peasants and members of scholarly societies also may field candidates in elections Sept. 24, the Congolese Workers’ Party decided at a special meeting Wednesday.

The party set quotas, which were not announced, for each of the groups and said the change would make Parliament more representative of society. In the past, only members of the Congolese Workers’ Party or sympathizers were allowed to sit in Parliament.