Felix Tshisekedi sworn in as DR Congo president

Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi has been sworn in as Democratic Republic of Congo‘s president, succeeding Joseph Kabila in the vast central African country’s first transfer of power through an election in 59 years of independence.

In his speech before a cheering crowd of supporters on Thursday, Tshsekedi said thiat the country will not be one of “division, hate or tribalism.”

“We want to build a strong Congo in its cultural diversity. We will promote its development in peace and security. A Congo for each and everyone, where everybody has his or her own place,” he said.  

Tshisekedi’s victory in the December 30 election was marred by accusations he struck a backroom deal with the outgoing president to deny victory to another opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu.

Kabila and Tshisekedi’s camps reject those allegations.

Thousands of Tshisekedi supporters, many of them dressed in white, gathered outside the Palace of the Nation, the seat of the presidency in capital Kinshasa, to celebrate the historic event.

“We hope that this will be a real change, especially as he has taken power without bloodshed,” said Saddam Kongolo, a member of Tshisekedi’s Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS).

One of Tshisekedi’s first tasks will be to appoint a prime minister in a move which will see him sharing power with Kabila’s supporters, who hold an overwhelming majority in parliament.

The ceremony caps more than two years of turmoil sparked by Kabila’s refusal to step down when he reached the constitutional limit on his term in office.

Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller, reporting from Kinshasa, said that Tshisekedi now faces the challenge of uniting the country after a divisive election.

Tshisekedi needs to “speak to people who support Martin Fayulu, who said that the elections were rigged”.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies