Congolese opposition party UDPS has rejected Martin Fayulu as the main opposition candidate a day after he was picked.

Now there are doubts whether the alliance will stand the test of time until the December 23 election.

In 2011, the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo failed to support one candidate against incumbent President Joseph Kabila.

The 47-year-old, who has led the mineral-rich central African nation since 2011, was declared winner following the scrapping of a re-run triggering violent protests.

In 2018, the opposition is keen to avoid repeating the same mistake and have placed their hopes on one man: Martin Fayulu.

"The Congolese people need a leader who will go with them to achieve development, to reach prosperity," Martin Fayulu told reporters in Geneva upon his election as the main opposition candidate. "We are committed to reach these goals, so that [DR] Congo can no longer be the laughing stock of the world."

That unity is now in jeopardy after the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) on Monday rejected Fayulu's nomination after supporters of Felix Tshisekedi took to the streets to protest.

UDPS has given Tshisekedi a 48-hour deadline to withdraw from the opposition alliance which was formed on Sunday (November 11, 2018) in Geneva.

The December election has been delayed several times on what many saw as tactics by Kabila to continue clinging on to power.