Two Years After Vote, Congo’s President Gets His Own Government

  • New ‘sacred union’ coalition announced Monday on national TV
  • Newcomer Antoinette N’Samba Kalambayi named minister of mines
Felix Tshisekedi

Photographer: Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP/Getty Images

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The Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister formed a new government that shifts the balance of power in the resource-rich country to President Felix Tshisekedi from his predecessor Joseph Kabila, two years after elections.

The announcement marks the formal end to a two-year coalition between Tshisekedi and Kabila that began after Kabila’s political allies won a majority in parliament in a December 2018 vote. Tshisekedi has accused Kabila’s supporters of blocking his agenda to fight endemic corruption, secure a new loan program with the International Monetary Fund, and expand a free education initiative before the next election in 2023.