His Excellency President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo was inaugurated for the second term as President of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 20 January 2024, following his re-election in the Presidential, Legislative and Provincial Elections held on 20 December 2023.

The inauguration ceremony which took place at the Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte (Martyrs Stadium) in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, follows the confirmation of President Tshisekedi’s re-election by the Constitutional Court of the DRC on 9th January 2024 after amassing 73.57 percent of the total votes. 

The ceremony was attended by hundreds of Congolese citizens and foreign dignitaries which included several current and former Heads of State and Government from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region, Africa and across the world. 

In his inauguration speech, H.E. President Tshisekedi outlined his vision of a more united, secure and more prosperous DRC, highlighting the need for social cohesion among all Congolese irrespective of tribal, ethnic and religious background to accelerate an inclusive national development.

H.E. President Tshisekedi pledged to work diligently in his second term towards achieving peace and security of the DRC; creating more jobs, particularly for young people; providing universal access to basic services like health and education for the people of the DRC; and diversifying DRC’s economy through effective use of the country’s vast agricultural and mining resources.

H.E. President Tshisekedi, who is the Outgoing Chairperson of SADC, also took the opportunity to assure the international community of DRC’s continued commitment to be a key player and catalyst for regional and continental integration and a shared prosperity.

SADC had deployed the Electoral Observation Mission to the Presidential, Legislative and Provincial Elections in the DRC in line with Article 3 of the Revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021). [Source: sadc.int]