DRC: Key political figures

2006-07-28 13:04

Kinshasa - Here's a glance at key political figures in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is preparing for its first democratic presidential and legislative elections in four decades.

Joseph Kabila

A 35-year-old incumbent presidential candidate inherited the DRC's presidency after his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated by his bodyguard in 2001.

He was thought to be the eldest of at least 10 children Laurent Kabila fathered with several women.

Joseph Kabila was credited with taking the initiative to end the DRC's 1996-2002 war by uniting warring rebels, including at least two other presidential hopefuls, to form a transitional government that paved the way for elections.

Born in eastern DRC, Kabila grew up in exile in Tanzania. During his term as interim president, Kabila had managed to convince foreign governments that he was capable of governing.

He promised to promote national reconciliation and rebuild infrastructure. He led the Alliance for Presidential Majority, a coalition of 30 parties.

Jean-Pierre Bemba

The 44-year-old was one of four vice-presidents in the DRC's transitional government. A former rebel leader, Bemba, had a strong base of supporters in the DRC's northwestern Equator province, from where he hailed.

Bemba was running for president on the ticket of his Congolese Liberation Movement. Bemba was popular among supporters of the DRC's late dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

This year, the Central African Republic issued an international arrest warrant for Bemba for his alleged support of the now ousted president of that country during a rebellion.

Bemba's case had been referred to the International Criminal Court. He had united several political parties around his coalition, the Rally of Congolese Nationalists, and promised to reform state institutions and improve governance.

Azarias Ruberwa

The 42-year-old former rebel was another interim vice-president. Running for president on the ticket of his former rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy, which controlled the key defence portfolio.

Ruberwa was born in the eastern South Kivu province and was a lawyer. His party had strong support from a minority Tutsi community in the DRC's east, but was otherwise unpopular and had been blamed for massacres and atrocities during the DRC's 1998-2002 war.

The party was considered a likely spoiler if it lost ground at the polls. Ruberwa was believed to have strong ties with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame. He promised to reform the DRC and improve governance.

Pierre Pay Pay

A long-time ally of the DRC's late dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, Pay Pay had roots in the DRC's eastern Kivu provinces. The 60-year-old had a degree in economics and made a fortune during Mobutu's nationalisation of DRC's foreign-owned businesses in 1975.

Pay Pay got what was at the time DRC's largest pharmaceutical enterprise. He later launched a career in politics holding key posts in Mobutu's government.

He had been minister of economy, commerce and industry, and had headed the country's lucrative state-owned copper mining enterprise, Gecamines. He was also a former governor of the DRC's Central Bank.

After Mobutu's fall to Laurent Kabila's rebellion, Pay Pay lived in exile between 1997 and 2002. A shrewd politician, he had united 26 parties in key constituencies across the country, making him a strong contender for an election run-off with Kabila.

Pay Pay led the Coalition of Democratic Congolese. He promised to reform the government institutions and offer state workers better salaries.

Etienne Tshisekedi

The veteran opposition leader began his career in politics in 1960 after the DRC won its independence from Belgium. A former prime minister under Mobutu.

In what was largely seen as a tactical error, Tshisekedi asked his supporters not to register as voters in 2005, insisting he would not contest the polls because he claimed the negotiations that led to it were flawed.

He later backtracked and announced that he would contest the presidency, but only if voter enrolment were reopened to allow his supporters to register.

The DRC's electoral commission had refused Tshisekedi's demands. He recently orchestrated several demonstrations, some violently dispersed by police, in Kinshasa.

Tshisekedi, who had strong support in the diamond-rich Kasai provinces, led the Union for Democracy and Social Progress. He remained an influential figure and his support could boost any of the DRC's presidential hopefuls.

- AP