WEEK 1: “Who is Felix Tshisekedi, DR Congo’s President Elect?”

“Who is Felix Tshisekedi, DR Congo’s President Elect?”

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Felix Tshisekedi, Congo's President-Elect

Summary:
Though he is a relatively new political figure, the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress party Felix Tshisekedi was announced as the unexpected winner of the preliminary presidential elections in Congo. His opposers, as well as many western Powers, doubt the legitimacy of the verdict. His closest challenger and the nations expected president-elect was Martin Fayulu, the head of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party. According to the electoral board, Tshisekedi won with 38.57 percent of the votes, while Fayulu aquired 34.8 percent. These results caused a commotion among the citizens, which included several violent outbreaks that led to the death of at least four people. It is not new however, because Congo has never had a peaceful transfer of power.

Joseph Kabila, Congos former president 2006-2018

          Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president of 12 years, finally agreed to step down after refusing to leave office when his term expired in December 2016. Kabila, like the other four leaders who have ruled Congo before him, governs with corruption and mismanagement. The congolese have experienced poor public health, little educational resources, and the lack of infrastructure; all of which have been caused by the history of corrupt leadership. Although Congo is rich in mineral resources, about 7.7 million of the 80 million citizens still live in poverty, while a small percentage are among the country's most highly privileged. with that social imbalance comes economic and governmental instability, which has left the majority of Congolese frustrated with their administration.

          When the presidential candidates were announced, people strongly believed that Fayulu would win. He was the country's favorite since he often led protests against the governmentt's extremely corrupt regime. As a presidential candidate, he aimed to reinstate stability for the country, and redirect the mining and oil contracts to benefit the large majority of the exploited population. Tshisekedi was also an opposition leader who strived to make the battle against poverty his priority by inreasing the average income per person. However, he was not the most poopular among the Congolese since may people criticized him for his lack of charisma and political experience, and deriving his political leitimacy from his father, who was the long-time leader of Tshisekedi's current party.
          Though both candidates share similar goals for their presidency, the citizens remain angered and baffled at the result of the election. Many people associate Tshisekedi's victory to corruption and blame him for a mysterious fire that destroyed 8,000 voting machines 10 days prior to the presidential elections.

Reaction:
          Living in the United States, I have never experienced the same level of corruption from my government compared to the Congoleses'. I imagine that their life must be difficult to bear, having to work for such little pay for giant oil companies owned by millionaires. I do agree that many companies in the US, like Congo, are benefitting too much on the labor of citizens that earn a tiny fraction of what they earn, which ultimately contributes to their poverty. If I was to vote in the elections, I probably would have chosen Fayulu, because Tshisekedi seems too inexperienced to handle all of the problems that plague Congo. Personally, it seemed like he was only running because his father was a prominent political figure, and he is merely following in his footsteps. I also feel as though Fayulu was more "for the people" than his opponents. He has real experience in business, which could have been good for managing the oil and mineral companies in Congo to help reduce poverty.

Connection:
          During the cold war, it was expressed in Patrice Lumumba's letter to his wife that Congo, at the time, was struggling for independence from Belgium and their western allies. Lumumba wrote that Congoleses' "freedom [had] been turned into a cage," which bears a similarity to how people felt under Joseph Kabila's (and previous leaders') corrupt leadership. In addition, Kabila forcing Congolese to endure his presidency two years after its expiration advertises an uncanny resemblance to the Belgians' corrupt and over controlling regime. The leader that the Congolese hoped for, Martin Fayulu, organized many anti-government protests rebelling against their fraudulent authority- this connects to the belief that Lumumba upheld for his people, expressing how he wanted them to "rid themselves of their enemies...and rise up as one to say no. " Conclusively, the events of the Cold war initiated changes in Congo that led to their independence from arbitrary leadership, similar to the downfall of Kabila's presidency.

Questions to Consider:
1. If you had to vote in the presidential election, who would you vote for and why?
2. What do you think about Congo's history of corrupt leadership? Do you think the country can be helped?
3. What do you think about the results of the election? Are the corruption accusations towards Tshisekedi valid?