Joseph Kabila

Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician and former military officer who served as the fourth <a href="/facts/President_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo/VgFp1w3G">President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</a> from 2001 to 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President <a href="/facts/Laurent-D%25C3%25A9sir%25C3%25A9_Kabila/yjJhcMLT">Laurent-Désiré Kabila</a> in the context of the <a href="/facts/Second_Congo_War/sf5qnF8a">Second Congo War</a>. He founded the <a href="/facts/People%2527s_Party_for_Reconstruction_and_Democracy/HngGpS5a">People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy</a> (PPRD) in 2002 and was allowed to remain in power after the 2003 <a href="/facts/Pretoria_Accord/p7dAJbPA">Pretoria Accord</a> ended the war as the president of the country's new <a href="/facts/Transitional_Government_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo/DlQQlpCd">transitional government</a>. He was elected as president in <a href="/facts/2006_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_general_election/u8VYrjk5">2006</a> and re-elected in <a href="/facts/2011_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_general_election/PWJsT2IQ">2011</a> for a second term. Since stepping down after the <a href="/facts/2018_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo_general_election/UVHvcIIj">2018 election</a>, Kabila, as a former president, serves as a <a href="/facts/Senator_for_life/N9fsllxA">senator for life</a>. Kabila was the country's second-longest serving president.
Kabila is credited with ending the Second Congo War and restoring relative stability to most of the country, though <a href="/facts/Ituri_conflict/mnSSESXK">conflict continued in eastern DR Congo</a> against rebel forces supported by neighboring <a href="/facts/Rwanda/UKR5UdKy">Rwanda</a> and <a href="/facts/Uganda/PabdegRm">Uganda</a>. He encouraged foreign investment in the mining industry and improved the infrastructure. The size of the <a href="/facts/Economy_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo/RsPgFkRJ">country's economy</a> increased by five times during his presidency. But economic growth slowed down in the later years, and it had been very unequal. The majority of DR Congo's population still lived below the <a href="/facts/Poverty_threshold/VdgLbwUk">international poverty line</a> by the time he left office. He helped organize electoral institutions and in 2006 presided over the DRC's first multi-party election in decades, though both that and his victory in 2011 faced accusations of electoral fraud and saw protests. He led an <a href="/facts/Authoritarianism/88Kfm2gU">authoritarian</a> government that was known for embezzlement, corruption, and human rights violations, including security forces killing protestors. The United States has sanctioned associates of Kabila for corruption and undermining democracy.
Kabila's term was due to expire on 20 December 2016, according to the terms of the constitution adopted in 2006. Officials suggested that elections would be held in November 2016, but on 29 September 2016, the nation's electoral authority announced that the election would not be held until early 2018. Talk focused on the need for a census before holding elections. Kabila's popularity declined and he also faced growing pressure from the international community to give up power. An agreement was reached with the influential <a href="/facts/Episcopal_Conference_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo/N9WbzxC6">Catholic Church hierarchy</a> to appoint a new government and prepare to hold elections. In August 2018, Kabila announced that he would step down and not seek a third term in the December 2018 general election. Kabila was succeeded by <a href="/facts/F%25C3%25A9lix_Tshisekedi/kVh82CDJ">Félix Tshisekedi</a> in the country's first <a href="/facts/Peaceful_transition_of_power/uhRlNhQI">peaceful transition of power</a> since independence. Independent observers concluded that Tshisikedi lost heavily to another candidate, <a href="/facts/Martin_Fayulu/M0cIumvL">Martin Fayulu</a>, and that Kabila had fixed the official result for the candidate most likely to be most helpful to him in the latter's post-presidency period.

Joseph Kabila open-in-new

Joseph Kabila