The earliest known human settlements in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated back to the Middle Stone Age,approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states,such as the Kongo,the Lunda,the Luba and Kuba,appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.
Politics of the Democratic Republic of Congo take place in the framework of a republic in transition from a civil war to a semi-presidential republic.
Laurent-DésiréKabila usually known as Laurent Kabila,was a Congolese rebel and politician who served as the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassination in 2001.
Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician who served as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between January 2001 and January 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father,President Laurent-DésiréKabila in the context of the Second Congo War. He was allowed to remain in power after the 2003 Pretoria Accord ended the war as the president of the country's new transitional government. He was elected as president in 2006 and re-elected in 2011 for a second term. Since stepping down after the 2018 election,Kabila,as a former president,serves as a senator for life.
Léon Kengo wa Dondo is a Congolese politician who served as the "first state commissioner" several times under Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaïre. He was one of the most powerful figures in the regime and was a strong advocate of economic globalization and free-market economics. He served as President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2007 to 2019.
Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba was a Congolese politician and the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS),formerly the main opposition political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A long-time opposition leader,he served as Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions:in 1991,1992–1993,and 1997. He was also the father of the current President,Felix Tshisekedi.
The Union for Democracy and Social Progress is a major political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Founded in 1982,amid the one-party rule of Mobutu Sese Seko and his Popular Movement of the Revolution,it is the country's oldest existing party. During the presidency of Joseph Kabila,it was the largest opposition party in the country. The party identifies as social democratic.
Antoine Gizenga was a Congolese (DRC) politician who was the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 30 December 2006 to 10 October 2008. He was the Secretary-General of the Unified Lumumbist Party.
Vital Kamerhe Lwa Kanyiginyi Nkingi is a Congolese politician,currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Economy and the leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) party. He served as the President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2006 to 2009. After resigning from that office,he went into the opposition and founded the UNC. He ran in the 2011 presidential election. He supported Félix Tshisekedi as a coalition partner in the 2018 presidential election,and became chief of staff when Tshisekedi took office.
The Republican Guard of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,formerly known as the Special Presidential Security Group,is maintained by President Félix Tshisekedi. Military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) military officials state that the Garde Républicaine is not the responsibility of FARDC,but the Head of State. Apart from Article 140 of the Law on the Army and Defence,no legal stipulation on the DRC's Armed Forces makes provision for the GR as a distinct unit within the national army. In February 2005,President Joseph Kabila passed a decree which appointed the GR's commanding officer and 'repealed any previous provisions contrary' to that decree. The GR is more than 10,000 strong,and formerly consisted of three brigades,the 10th,at Kinshasa,the 15th,and the 16th,at Lubumbashi. It has better working conditions and is paid regularly,but still commits numerous crimes near their bases,including against United Nations officials.
General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 December 2018,to determine a successor to President Joseph Kabila,as well as for the 500 seats of the National Assembly and the 715 elected seats of the 26 provincial assemblies. Félix Tshisekedi (UDPS) won with 38.6% of the vote,defeating another opposition candidate,Martin Fayulu,and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary,backed by the ruling party PPRD. Fayulu alleged that the vote was rigged against him in a deal made by Tshisekedi and outgoing President Kabila,challenging the result in the DRC's Constitutional Court. Different election observers,including those from the country's Roman Catholic Church,also cast doubt on the official result. Nonetheless on 20 January the Court rejected his appeal and declared Tshisekedi as the winner. Parties supporting President Kabila won the majority of seats in the National Assembly. Félix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the 5th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 24 January 2019,making it the first peaceful transition of power in the country since it became independent from Belgium in 1960.
Samy Badibanga Ntita is a Congolese politician who was Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from November 2016 to May 2017. He was also on the ballot for the 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election as a presidential candidate.
On 20 December 2016 the Democratic Republic of the Congo's president,Joseph Kabila,announced that he would not leave office despite the end of his constitutional term. Protests subsequently broke out across the country,which had never had a peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence in 1960. The protests were met with the government's blocking of social media,and violence from security forces which left dozens dead. Foreign governments condemned the attacks against protesters.
Albert Yuma Mulimbi is a Congolese businessman,economist and former chairman at the state-owned mining company Gecamines. An International Labour Organization dignitary,he is the chairman of the Congolese Employers Federation,Democratic Republic of the Congo's biggest business lobby group.
Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo 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.
Martin Madidi Fayulu is a Congolese politician. He is the leader of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party.
The Common Front for Congo,also known as the Kabila Coalition,is a parliamentary group within the parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that is predominantly made up of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD). It was formed in June 2018 by Joseph Kabila to organise political forces for the 2018 presidential election and acts as the successor to the Alliance of the Presidential Majority.
Events in the year 2021 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge is a Congolese politician from the former Katanga Province who served as Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2021 to 2024. He announced his first cabinet on 12 April 2021. He is a member of the Future of Congo party.
Dominique Sakombi Inongo was a Congolese politician and diplomat.
