H.E. Felix Tshisekedi
President, The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, born June 13, 1963 in Kinshasa, has been President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since January 24, 2019. He is the leader of the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress), succeeding his father, the late Étienne Tshisekedi. He was elected to the National Assembly in 2011, but he refused his seat to denounce the fraudulent election. As a result, his mandate was invalidated in 2013.
After his father's passing in February of 2017, he became the leader of the UDPS in March of 2017. He initiated the Congolese Dialogue to uphold the Constitution and for the peaceful alternation of power in the DRC. This is a process that he defends tirelessly, and it has pushed him to ally himself with the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) of Vital Kamerhe in Nairobi. Through this involvement, he founded the platform CACH (Heading for Change) to collaborate with opposing parties through elections and in government affairs. In March of 2018, he was selected as the UDPS's presidential candidate and won the subsequent election on December 30, 2018. At 56, he became the 5th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a five-year term. This transfer of power is the first-ever peaceful transfer since the DRC gained independence.