He had little political experience when he first became president of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019. It was the death of his father – the iconic opposition figure who went head to head, first with the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and then with the long running Kabila dynasty – that thrust Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo into the limelight, and then, to the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa.
Now, after a disputed five-year term that saw great economic and political upheaval, including the COVID-19 pandemic, two Ebola outbreaks, resurgent rebel groups and escalating tensions with neighbouring Rwanda, Tshisekedi is back on the ballot box. This time, he is vying for the presidency alongside a host of strong opposition figures, also campaigning with a lot more savviness than in his first go.
