Africa-Press – Angola. President João Lourenço arrived in Luanda earlier this evening, after witnessing, in Kinshasa, the inauguration of Félix Tshisekedi for a second term as President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The presidential plane landed at 4 de Fevereiro international airport, in Luanda, at around 6:00 pm.
Upon his arrival, the Angolan head of state was received by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, in the company of other members of the Government.
In Kinshasa, João Lourenço and 17 other African heads of state attended, this Saturday, the investiture ceremony of Félix Tshisekedi, held at the Mártires stadium, in the presence of around 100 thousand people.
Félix Tshisekedi took office for a second five-year term, after winning the elections on December 20th and 21st with 73.47% of the votes, defeating his main competitors, including Moïse Katumbi.
Former governor of the former province of Katanga (south), Katumbi came in second place with 18.08% of the votes, followed by Martin Fayulu (5.33%) and the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, gynecologist Denis Mukwege (less 1%).
Among the African heads of state present at the inauguration were also those from Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló; and from São Tomé and Princípe, Carlos Vila Nova.
Tshisekedi was sworn in after the Constitutional Court confirmed, on the 9th of this month, his re-election, last December, despite protests from the three defeated opponents who demanded the annulment of the elections.
Around 44 million of the country’s more than 100 million inhabitants were called to vote in presidential, legislative, provincial and local elections, but turnout was 43%.
The DRC is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa and has enormous mineral wealth (including vast reserves of cobalt, essential for the production of batteries for electric vehicles), but its infrastructure is deficient in much of the country.
The elections also took place in the shadow of the conflict between dozens of militias and the Army in the east of the country and in the midst of a new escalation of fighting by the rebels.
Tshisekedi came to power in the elections of December 30, 2018, which, despite criticism from the opposition and the international community as many considered Martin Fayulu the legitimate winner, represented the first peaceful transfer of power in the country since Belgian Independence in 1960.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
