Congo’s Tshisekedi Sworn In as President, Ending Kabila’s Rule
- Inauguration marks country’s first democratic power transfer
- Opposition leader Fayulu rejects results, says he is president
Photographer: Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images
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Felix Tshisekedi took the oath of office to become president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, completing the country’s first transition of power by the ballot box after an election questioned by rivals and influential vote monitors.
Tshisekedi, 55, becomes only the fifth head of state in the cobalt- and copper-rich nation since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960. The election of the leader of Congo’s biggest opposition party, disputed by rival candidate Martin Fayulu, brings to an end the 18-year rule of Joseph Kabila, who was barred from seeking a third term by the constitution.