This is a list of presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Republic of the Congo and Zaire) since the country's independence in 1960.The current President is Félix Tshisekedi, since 24 January 2019.[1]
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
| Portrait | Name | Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| Republic of the Congo (1960–1971) | ||||||||
| Joseph Kasa-Vubu | 1960 | 1 July 1960 | 24 November 1965 | ABAKO | ||||
| Joseph-Désiré Mobutu | 1970 | 24 November 1965 | 27 October 1971[2] | Military / Popular Movement of the Revolution | ||||
| Republic of Zaire (1971–1997) | ||||||||
| Mobutu Sese Seko | 1977 1984 | 27 October 1971 | 16 May 1997 [3] | Popular Movement of the Revolution | ||||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–present) | ||||||||
| Laurent-Désiré Kabila | — | 17 May 1997 | 16 January 2001 | Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo / Independent | ||||
| Joseph Kabila | — | 17 January 2001 | 26 January 2001 | Independent / People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy | ||||
| 2006 2011 | 26 January 2001 | 24 January 2019 | ||||||
| Félix Tshisekedi | 2018 2023 | 24 January 2019 | Incumbent | Union for Democracy and Social Progress | ||||
| Rank | President | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobutu Sese Seko | ||
| 2 | Joseph Kabila | ||
| 3 | Félix Tshisekedi | ||
| 4 | Joseph Kasa-Vubu | ||
| 5 | Laurent-Désiré Kabila |