There are credible allegations of electoral fraud, but the Constitutional Court in Congo declared Félix Tshisekedi the winner of the vote. Now the 55-year-old has been sworn in as president. His inauguration is the first peaceful change of power in the Central African country for decades.
"Our Congo will not be a Congo of hate and tribalism," Tshisekedi said in his inaugural address. "Our fight will be for the good of all the citizens of this land."
Immediately after the swearing Tshisekedi had to interrupt his speech, however, for health reasons. He had a small fainting spell, said the 55-year-old as he returned to continue the ceremony.
The Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world
Tshisekedi's road to power in the Central African country, however, was overshadowed by allegations of electoral fraud. Electoral observers of the Catholic Church and internal Election Commission documents saw opposition candidate Martin Fayulu as the winner of the December 30 vote. Outgoing President Joseph Kabila was not allowed to apply for another term.
The Constitutional Court had rejected the complaints against the result of the election on Sunday. As a result, African states, the EU and the USA congratulated Tshisekedi on the election victory. He was previously known as the son of a longtime opposition leader who died in 2017.
There is a lot of work to do on Tshisekedi: despite abundant minerals such as cobalt, copper and gold, the Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. This is also due to many conflicts fueled by greed for commodities.
The peaceful - if not undisputed - change of power is a success for the Congo. After independence from Belgium in 1960, dictator Mobuto Sese Seko soon seized power. He was overthrown by rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who declared himself president in 1997. In 2001, Kabila was shot dead by a bodyguard. His then 29-year-old son Joseph inherited power.