List of heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The following list represents the presidents of the country commonly known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Congo-Kinshasa. From 1960 to 1964, the state was officially called the “Republic of the Congo”, from 1964 to 1971 “Democratic Republic of the Congo” and from 1971 to 1997 “Republic of Zaire”. Since 1997 the country has been calling itself again the "Democratic Republic of the Congo".
Surname | image | Beginning of the term of office | Term expires | comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Joseph Kasavubu | July 1, 1960 | November 25, 1965 | first president of the country; toppled by a coup | |
Mobutu Sese Seko | November 25, 1965 | May 16, 1997 | ruled the country as a dictator; was deposed in a civil war | |
Laurent-Désiré Kabila | May 17, 1997 | January 18, 2001 | took power in a civil war; was killed in an assassination attempt | |
Joseph Kabila | January 18, 2001 | January 24, 2019 | was used after the death of his father; 2006 and 2011 confirmed by elections | |
Félix Tshisekedi | January 24, 2019 | officiating | first (formally) democratic assumption of office despite allegations of election fraud |