What now that President Tshisekedi has taken control?

President Felix Tshisekedi has effectively seized control of the Democratic Republic of Congo by neutralizing political rivals and dismantling the ruling coalition with Joseph Kabila's FCC. Key moves included removing the head of Gecamines, appointing new constitutional court judges to erode Kabila's influence, and orchestrating the removal of the National Assembly's leadership to form a new parliamentary majority. While this marks a shift in power, the author argues that the future of the DRC depends on whether Tshisekedi moves beyond elite power politics toward good governance, accountability, and economic development.

• President Tshisekedi consolidated power by targeting key figures in Joseph Kabila's network, specifically removing Albert Yuma from the state-owned mining company Gecamines and suspending the chief of military intelligence, Delphin Kahimbi.
• The appointment of three new judges to the constitutional court in October significantly weakened Kabila's power, as the court had previously been used to justify election delays and approve 2018 results.
• Tshisekedi formally ended the ruling coalition between his CACH platform and Kabila's FCC on 6 December, citing the breakdown of the coalition and the FCC's boycott of the constitutional court judges' inauguration.
• Tshisekedi shifted power in the National Assembly by using a petition regarding parliamentary financial matters to remove FCC President Jeanine Mabunda and her bureau, indicating that some FCC MPs had defected.
• The author concludes that for the DRC to improve, the new leadership must transition from 'elite power politics' to 'credible and accountable governance' focusing on basic services, economic development, and stability in the east.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2020). What now that President Tshisekedi has taken control? https://saiia.org.za/research/what-now-that-president-tshisekedi-has-taken-control/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. What now that President Tshisekedi has taken control? 2020. https://saiia.org.za/research/what-now-that-president-tshisekedi-has-taken-control/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=What now that President Tshisekedi has taken control? |date=17 December 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/what-now-that-president-tshisekedi-has-taken-control/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2020what, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{What now that President Tshisekedi has taken control?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/what-now-that-president-tshisekedi-has-taken-control/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }