Félix Tshisekedi

In this Congolese name, the surname is Tshisekedi and the post-surname is Tshilombo.

His Excellency Félix Tshisekedi
Tshisekedi in 2021
5th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 January 2019
Prime Minister	Bruno Tshibala Sylvestre Ilunga Sama Lukonde Kyenge Judith Tuluka
Preceded by	Joseph Kabila
Leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 March 2018
Preceded by	Étienne Tshisekedi
19th Chairperson of the African Union
In office 6 February 2021 – 5 February 2022
Preceded by	Cyril Ramaphosa
Succeeded by	Macky Sall
Chairman of Southern African Development Community
In office 17 August 2022 – 17 August 2023
Preceded by	Filipe Nyusi
Succeeded by	João Lourenço
Personal details
Born	(1963-06-13) 13 June 1963 Léopoldville, Congo-Léopoldville (now Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Nationality	Congolese
Political party	Union for Democracy and Social Progress
Spouse	Denise Nyakéru Tshisekedi
Parent(s)	Étienne Tshisekedi Marthe Kasalu Jibikila
Website	https://presidence.cd

Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo (French: [feliks ɑ̃twan tʃisekedi tʃilombo]; born 13 June 1963) is a Congolese politician who has been the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 24 January 2019. He is the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the DRC's oldest and largest party, succeeding his late father Étienne Tshisekedi in that role, a three-time Prime Minister of Zaire and opposition leader during the reign of Mobutu Sese Seko.

Tshisekedi was the UDPS party's candidate for president in the December 2018 general election, which he was awarded, despite accusations of irregularities from several election monitoring organisations and other opposition parties. The Constitutional Court of the DRC upheld his victory after another opposition politician, Martin Fayulu, challenged the result, but Tshisekedi has been accused of making a deal with his predecessor, Joseph Kabila. The election marked the first peaceful transition of power since the state became independent from Belgium in 1960.

Since the Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition, which is aligned with Kabila, still controlled the parliament and provincial governorships, Tshisekedi's ability to govern or even appoint a new Prime Minister was limited for the first six months of his term. He named his coalition partner and political heavyweight, Vital Kamerhe, as his Chief of Cabinet, at first having designated him prime minister but not having the parliamentary support to have him successfully appointed. In May 2019 he reached a deal with the parliament's Kabila-aligned majority to appoint Sylvestre Ilunga prime minister. On 27 July 2019, negotiations finally ended between Tshisekedi and the parliament, agreeing on the formation of a new cabinet.

In May 2024, he managed to foil a coup attempt targeting him.

Early life and education

Tshisekedi, a member of the Luba ethnic group, was born in Kinshasa on 13 June 1963 to mother Marthe and father Étienne Tshisekedi, who served as Prime Minister of Zaire in the 1990s. He had a comfortable life as a youth in the capital, but when his father created the UDPS in the early 1980s, publicly opposing Mobutu, Félix was forced to accompany him into house arrest in his native village in central Kasaï. This put his studies on hold. In 1985, Mobutu allowed him, his mother, and his brothers to leave Kasaï. He went on to live in Brussels, Belgium, where he worked at odd jobs, delivering pizza and cleaning jobs; he later became an active UDPS member.

Political career

Early political career

In late 2008, Tshisekedi was named the UDPS National Secretary for external relations. In November 2011, he obtained a seat in the National Assembly, representing the city of Mbuji Mayi in Kasai-Oriental province. He did not take his seat, citing a fraudulent election, and his mandate was invalidated for "absenteeism".

In May 2013, he refused a position of rapporteur at the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), saying that he did not want to put his political career on hold as CENI's article 17 excludes membership for those who are members of a political formation.

In October 2016, Tshisekedi became vice secretary general of the UDPS.

2018 election to the presidency

On 31 March 2018, he was elected to lead the UDPS, after his father's death on 1 February 2017. The same day, the UDPS nominated him for president in the December 2018 general election.

On 10 January 2019, it was announced that Tshisekedi had won the presidency of the DRC in the December 2018 election. He defeated another opposition leader, Martin Fayulu, and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who was supported by term-limited outgoing President Kabila, who had been president for 18 years. Fayulu, the runner-up, alleged vote rigging and challenged the election results. On 19 January, the Constitutional Court dismissed the challenge, officially making Tshisekedi president-elect. He was sworn in as president on 24 January 2019, taking office the next day. This marked the first time since the Congo gained independence in 1960 that an incumbent president peacefully transferred power to the opposition.

On 20 January, South Africa congratulated Tshisekedi on his election despite the African Union and EU warning of doubts over the result announced by the Constitutional Court.

Tenure as president (2019–present)

After Tshisekedi was sworn in, it was reported that a member of Kabila's coalition would be picked to serve as his Prime Minister.

On 13 March 2019, Tshisekedi signed a decree to pardon approximately 700 prisoners, including imprisoned political opponents of Kabila, and this decision followed his promise given the week before to allow the return of exiles.

Félix Tshisekedi with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, April 2019

In early 2019, negotiations were underway between Tshisekedi and Kabila's FCC coalition that controlled the National Assembly and Senate. In late April, Jeune Afrique reported that Kabila proposed to Tshisekedi the mining company executive Albert Yuma as a candidate for prime minister. Yuma supports the new Mining Code adopted in 2018, which put the DRC in dispute with international mining companies, and Tshisekedi has been under foreign pressure to not appoint him. The Civil Society of South Kivu recommended to Tshisekedi the appointment of his chief of staff Vital Kamerhe as prime minister. For months, Tshisekedi continued working with ministers of Kabila's government as he was hamstrung by parliament. He faced challenges in dealing with the Kivu conflict as well as the Ebola outbreak in the region. In early March, Tshisekedi started a program to improve infrastructure, transport, education, housing, communication, health, water, and agriculture.

Tshisekedi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia–Africa Summit on 23 October 2019

Most of the provincial governorships were also won by Kabila-affiliated candidates.

On 20 May 2019, Tshisekedi reached a deal with the FCC coalition and Kabila, appointing the career civil servant Sylvestre Ilunga as prime minister. Ilunga began his political career in the 1970s and held a number of cabinet posts under Mobutu Sese Seko before his overthrow in 1997. He is also an ally of Kabila. In late July 2019, Tshisekedi reached a deal with parliament on forming a new government. Ilunga's new cabinet would include 65 members, 48 ministers and 17 vice-ministers, which should be divided between the Kabila-aligned FCC and Tshisekedi's CACH alliance. The majority of the ministries went to the FCC, including three of the six most important ones (Defence, Justice, and Finance), while the Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Budget portfolios went to Tshisekedi's allies.

Tshisekedi and U.S. President Joe Biden at the 2021 G20 Rome summit, October 2021

After a power struggle saw the coalition with allies of Tshisekedi's predecessor break down and many legislators were won over, Ilunga was forced to leave office and Tshisekedi appointed Gécamines leader Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde as successor on 15 February 2021.

On 12 April 2021, Tshisekedi formally ended his two-year coalition with Kabila and his allies when prime minister Sama Lukonde formed a new government. On national television, Tshisekedi’s spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba announced a number of new appointments, including Antoinette N’Samba Kalambayi as mines minister. The president succeeded in ousting the last remaining elements of his government who were loyal to Kabila.

Tshisekedi has called for a review of mining contracts signed with China by his predecessor Joseph Kabila, especially the Sicomines multibillion 'minerals-for-infrastructure' deal. He has also promised to end and reverse deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by 2030, in the COP26 climate summit's first major agreement.

In October 2022, Tshisekedi ruled out bringing in Russian mercenaries to help quell a raging conflict in the east of the country and vowed to press on with economic development plans despite the insecurity in the region.

Tshisekedi with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen in Kinshasa, 4 March 2023

After the 2023 presidential election, Tshisekedi had a clear lead in his run for a second term. On 31 December 2023, officials said that Tshisekedi had been re-elected with 73% of the vote. Nine opposition candidates signed a declaration rejecting the election and called for a rerun.

In May 2023, he visited China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to strengthen the partnership with China and renegotiate mining contracts for the DRC's mineral reserves. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a major producer and exporter of copper, uranium and cobalt.

On 19 May 2024, he was targeted, alongside his ally Vital Kamerhe, in an attempted coup launched by the self-proclaimed New Zaire, but managed to foil the attempt quickly.

In October 2024, Tshisekedi walked out of the Francophone heads of state retreat in Paris after French president Emmanuel Macron failed to mention the conflicts in the eastern DRC in his speech. He also boycotted a luncheon hosted by Organisation internationale de la Francophonie head and former Rwandan foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo.

Honours

• Central African Republic:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Reconnaissance of Central African (December 2019)
• Chad:
  • Grand Cross of the National Order of Chad (June 2024)
• Guinea-Bissau:
  • Recipient of the Medal of Amílcar Cabral (July 2021)

See also

• List of current heads of state and government
• List of heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

External links

• Media related to Félix Tshisekedi at Wikimedia Commons
• Quotations related to Félix Tshisekedi at Wikiquote