“Felix Tshisekedi, from pizza delivery man to president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo”. daily list

felix tshisekediwho worked as pizza delivered In his youth, he won the controversial December 20 election and is heading for a second term after reaching there Presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) The country’s first peaceful transition of power in 2019.

Tshisekedi, 60, defeated his main rivals in the elections above, influential opposition leader martin fayulu and popular businessman and former governor of the region Katanga (South) Moise Katumbi,

As per the provisional results published today by National Election Commission Independent (CENI), the president received 73.34% of the vote, followed by Katumbi (18.08%) and Fayulu (5.33%), who, along with other candidates, described the elections as full of fraud, delays and logistical problems.

political repression

Born on 13 June 1960 in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa, the capital), Tshisekedi experienced political repression from a young age.

In 1982 his father, Etienne Tshisekediestablished Union for Democracy Party And this social progress (UDPS), which led him to criticize the then government as well as exile his family to Kasai’s native region in the mid-southern part of the country.

There he remained in exile and under government control until 1985, when he finally allowed his children and wife to leave the DRC.

So they moved to Brussels when Tshisekedi – the third child of five – was 22. He trained in business and marketing studies and worked sporadically as a pizza delivery boy and in cleaning jobs.

He then returned to the DRC and began to become more actively involved in politics, particularly in the UPDS, where in late 2008 he was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Three years later, in the 2011 elections, he won a seat in the National Assembly, although he never took it, on the instructions of his father and in protest against the elections, which were then described as fraudulent and which ousted Joseph Kabila. Got victory.

In 2016 itself, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the party.

father’s legacy

Étienne Tshisekedi was the main leader of the Congolese opposition for decades and was one of the few politicians who challenged dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who led a coup in 1965 and declared himself autocratic president.

Additionally, the president changed the name of the country to Zaire, implemented massive corruption, and amassed vast personal wealth.

The “old” Tshisekedi was prime minister of the country on three occasions—1991, 1992–1993 and 1997—and his banner was to achieve democracy through peaceful means.

He died on February 1, 2017, at the age of 84; A year later, on March 31, 2018, Félix Tshisekedi was unanimously named leader and candidate of the UDPS.

Having always lived under his father’s political shadow, he was questioned on several occasions for not having sufficient competence or charisma for the position, especially in comparison to his father.

His experience is very limited, as is now being criticized by the opposition, which says that his most relevant position in politics was the seat he has never held other than the rotating presidency of the African Union between 2021 and 2022.

a second term

Tshisekedi was first elected president in December 2018 elections, which were dogged by allegations of fraud by the opposition, who called the results “invented and fabricated”.

Nevertheless, that vote marked the country’s first peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Now, five years later and at the head of the Sacred Union coalition of parties, Tshisekedi faces his second five-year term and his last consecutive term if the Constitutional Court validates the results announced today by CENI in January .

His first term was not without controversies. The opposition accused him of a “lack of transparency” and increasing tensions, which have led millions to flee their homes due to violence by armed groups, especially in the east of the country.

In fact, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the DRC is immersed in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and the number of internally displaced people recently reached a record number in its history of 6.9 million.

Nineteen presidential candidates, including Tshisekedi, participated in these elections, which were marked by the shadow of conflict between dozens of militias and the army in the DRC’s east and an increase in fighting by the rebel March 23 Movement (M23). Northeastern province of North Kivu.

According to the election calendar, the President’s inauguration should take place on January 20.

During the 2018 election campaign, Tshisekedi explained to EFE that, if he came to power, he was “going to establish a rule of law that will re-establish governance throughout the state to be able to mobilize the country’s assets.” Will do”, that is, huge mineral reserves despite the poverty of the vast majority of the population.

His priority was to achieve the desired peace in the east and center of the country. Even after five years, his goal remains the same.