Updated: March 2, 2021
As citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo residing in the United States prepare to engage with their newly elected head of state, Felix Tshisekedi, on Saturday, April 6, a patriot from the Central African state has tasked the new president to fulfill his electoral promises and uphold his father’s legacy.
Speaking to Today News Africa minutes after President Tshisekedi touched down on Washington DC on Wednesday morning, Marie-Stella Mbala Heiser, a Congolese who was among the hundreds who gathered to see the new leader, urged President Tshisekedi to put to good use the years of grooming he received from his late dad, Etienne Tshisekedi, a renowned opposition leader who served thrice as Congo’s Premier.
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“His father had a motto, the “People First” and we expect him to do same,” she said, calling on him to use his first 100 days as president to prove himself and stay focused on his developmental agenda.
Acknowledging that he’s got an ambitious plan for the DRC, Marie-Stella Mbala Heiser voiced her readiness to support president Tshisekedi.
“I have faith in him especially because of the way he has approached state matters…he is not just the president of the party that brought him into power but for the whole DR Congo and this can be seen in the way he embraces everyone.”
“He is opened to listen to his people, he is smart, and surrounds himself with people who can deliver, she said before rallying all Congolese to support the newly elected as he embarks on his mission to develop and spotlight the DRC.
Felix Antoine Tshisekedi is the son of veteran Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who served three times as the country’s Prime Minister. He took over his father’s UDSP political party after the 84-year-old opposition leader passed on in 2017.
Though underrated and described as a “political amateur”, unfit to step in his father’s shoes, Felix Tshisekedi successfully led a coalition that ousted Joseph Kabila and was sworn in as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a peaceful transition.
He is currently on his first official outing to the United States since he became President.
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