Africa
20 January 2015
Last updated at 07:24 ET
Protesters accuse the president of trying to wage a "constitutional coup"
Protesters say government plans for a census are a ploy to delay elections.
Mr Kabila is constitutionally barred from contesting the poll.
The government admits the poll could be delayed, but says the census is vital to ensure free and fair elections.
'Looters killed' The BBC's Maud Julien reports from Kinshasa that most shops are closed and internet and telephone connections have been blocked.
The protests have turned violent, with casualties on both sides
The protesters have vowed to force Mr Kabila to step down next year
Hundreds of angry young men are burning tyres in several
neighbourhoods, looting shops and throwing rocks at cars, our reporter
says.
In the poor area of Masina on the city's outskirts, police tried to disperse protesters by shooting into the air, she adds.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said two policemen and two "looters" were killed in Monday's clashes in Kinshasa.
Demonstrators called on Mr Kabila to step down when his term expires and carried placards which said: "Don't touch the constitution".
Hundreds of people protested also protested on Monday in Goma, the main trading post in the east.
Most businesses have remained closed
The protests coincided with a debate in the Senate, the upper
parliamentary chamber, over government plans to hold a census before
elections.
The lower chamber, the House of Representatives, approved the plan on Saturday, in a vote boycotted by opposition MPs.
The opposition says this amounts to a "constitutional coup" by Mr Kabila, as it will take about three years for a census to be conducted in DR Congo, which is two-thirds of the size of western Europe, has very little infrastructure and is hit by instability in the east.
DR Congo, formerly known as Zaire, has never had a reliable census since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Mr Kabila took power in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila, who was president at the time, and has won two disputed elections since then.
DR Congo is rich in resources, but most people are poor.
by Susan Peterson and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Kinshasa
Protesters accuse the president of trying to wage a "constitutional coup"
Four
people have been killed in protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo
over claims that President Joseph Kabila is seeking to extend his
14-year rule by delaying next year's elections.
Protests continued on Tuesday in the capital, Kinshasa,
following Monday's fatal clashes between opposition supporters and
security forces.Protesters say government plans for a census are a ploy to delay elections.
Mr Kabila is constitutionally barred from contesting the poll.
The government admits the poll could be delayed, but says the census is vital to ensure free and fair elections.
'Looters killed' The BBC's Maud Julien reports from Kinshasa that most shops are closed and internet and telephone connections have been blocked.
The protests have turned violent, with casualties on both sides
The protesters have vowed to force Mr Kabila to step down next year
In the poor area of Masina on the city's outskirts, police tried to disperse protesters by shooting into the air, she adds.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said two policemen and two "looters" were killed in Monday's clashes in Kinshasa.
Demonstrators called on Mr Kabila to step down when his term expires and carried placards which said: "Don't touch the constitution".
Hundreds of people protested also protested on Monday in Goma, the main trading post in the east.
Most businesses have remained closed
The lower chamber, the House of Representatives, approved the plan on Saturday, in a vote boycotted by opposition MPs.
The opposition says this amounts to a "constitutional coup" by Mr Kabila, as it will take about three years for a census to be conducted in DR Congo, which is two-thirds of the size of western Europe, has very little infrastructure and is hit by instability in the east.
DR Congo, formerly known as Zaire, has never had a reliable census since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Mr Kabila took power in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila, who was president at the time, and has won two disputed elections since then.
DR Congo is rich in resources, but most people are poor.
Inside DR Congo
Eastern DR Congo is awash with a variety of different
rebel groups – some have come from neighbouring countries, while others
have formed as self-defence groups. Many are taking advantage of the
lack of a strong state to seize control of the area's mineral riches.
DR Congo Seeks Democracy
Goma crisis
-
Persuading rebels to return to Rwanda after 20 years
Home truths
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Time for peace
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Too rich for its own good
-
Q&A: Who are the M23?
-
Rebel kaleidoscope
-
Weapon of war
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Katanga, rich but terrorised
-
UN under fire
-
'Why we defected'
-
Rebel tactics
-
How rebels make their money
-
Heaven or hell?
-
Q&A: DR Congo conflict
From other news sites
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Qatar Peninsula Police and protesters face off in DR Congo over electio... 48 mins ago
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Mail Online UK Police and protesters face off in DR Congo over election law 2 hrs ago
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The Statesman Four dead as anti-Kabila demo quashed in DR Congo 7 hrs ago
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Al Jazeera DR Congo rocked by anti-government protests 14 hrs ago
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Reuters UK Gunfire, tear gas in protests against possible Congo election delay 26 hrs ago
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