55 YEAR OLD FELIX TSHISEKEDI SWORN IN AS CONGO PRESIDENT
The President who is associated with a tweed golf cap in his speech said, “Our Congo will not be a Congo of hate and tribalism. Our fight will be to improve the lives of each citizen,’’ However, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was in attendance at the swearing-in, as well as Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga
Penpushing further reports that, Tshisekedi has a Degree in Marketing and Communications from a University in Belgium and had worked in Europe. He has a political lineage as his father was an opposition politician before him.
He joined his father Etienne Tshisekedi’s political party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), as a young man. Tshisekedi won about 7 million votes compared to his opponent, Fayulu’s 6.3 million, according to the country’s electoral commission.
Penpushing recalled that the December 30 elections, which were delayed for two years as Kabila clung to power beyond his term, were plagued by problems, including a fire that destroyed voting machines, militant attacks, and an Ebola outbreak.
Similarly, other election setbacks were that voting did not take place in three areas of the country, with the electoral commission putting it off due to Ebola and violence, and those regions have been told they can vote in March, but with the swearing in of new President , over a million voters have effectively been disenfranchised.
Penpushing further reports that, the Central African country has been plagued by wars and is also home to numerous militias – some fighting along ethnic lines and others over lucrative mineral resources. The country has abundant deposits of copper, coltan, gold, diamonds and cobalt, which is highly sought-after because of its use in mobile phones.
