During his re-election campaign, Tshisekedi trumpeted his elimination of primary-school fees and promised to create millions of new jobs. But Tshisekedi refused to take up the seat on instructions from his father, who considered then-president Joseph Kabila a dictator. Etienne Tshisekedi died in 2017, a year before his son ran for president in an election that was fiercely disputed. Once in power, Felix Tshisekedi began to nurture his public image and travel abroad extensively, in contrast to his reclusive predecessor. Progress on consolidating DRC’s fragile democracy is also stalling — Authorities have jailed opposition politicians as well as a prominent journalist.

Source: Daily Nation January 01, 2024 04:45 UTC