President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (, , ), is the head of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The constitutional mandate of the current president, Joseph Kabila, was due to expire on 20 December 2016 but was extended by him until the end of 2017. He was replaced by Félix Tshisekedi in 2019.

Article 72 of the Congolese constitution states that the President must be a natural-born citizen – or more accurately:  – of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and at least 30 years of age. Additionally, the President must be free of any legal constraints on their civil and political rights.
Heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1960–present)

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Republic of the Congo (1960–1964)  Name Lifespan Elected Took office Left office Political party Presidents 1 Joseph Kasa-Vubu 100px 1890–1969 — 1 July 1960 1 August 1964 ABAKO — Antoine Gizenga 100px 1916–2019 — 31 March 1961 5 August 1961 Parti Solidaire AfricainDemocratic Republic of the Congo (1964–1971) Presidents  Joseph Kasa-Vubu 100px 1890–1969 — 1 August 1964 24 November 1965 ABAKO 2 Joseph-Désiré Mobutu 100px 1917–1997 1970 24 November 1965 27 October 1971 Military /  Popular Movement of the RevolutionRepublic of Zaire (1971–1997) President  Mobutu Sese Seko 100px 19317–1997 19771984 27 October 1971 16 May 1997 Popular Movement of the RevolutionDemocratic Republic of the Congo (1997–present) Presidents 3 Laurent-Désiré Kabila  1927–2001 — 17 May 1997 16 January 2001 Independent 4 Joseph Kabila 100px 1960– 20062011 26 January 2001 24 January 2019 Independent /  People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy 5 Félix Tshisekedi 100px 1954– 2018 24 January 2019 Incumbent Union for Democracy and Social Progress

 Timeline 

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