Félix Tshisekedi

Quick facts about Félix Tshisekedi

1. His inaugurated on January 24, 2019 is the Democratic Republic of the Congo's first official, peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence in 1960.
2. Electoral observers, domestic church bodies (CENCO), and leaked voting data indicated opposition rival Martin Fayulu won the 2018 election; Tshisekedi assumed office via a covert power-sharing deal brokered directly with outgoing president Joseph Kabila to preserve the ruling elite's interests.
3. International investigative audits ("Congo Hold-Up") and global anti-corruption monitors documented the expansion of political patronage systems under his tenure, alongside state resource mismanagement and unresolved financial diversions linked to presidency-sponsored infrastructure programs (such as the $100 Million Emergency Plan).
4. Despite instituting a militarized "State of Siege" across North Kivu and Ituri in 2021, security in eastern DRC drastically deteriorated under his presidency, marked by the resurgence of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel offensive and an attempted May 2024 coup d'état in Kinshasa led by opposition figures.