Joseph Kabila became president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on January 20, 2001, following the assassination of Laurent Kabila four days earlier. The government later established an interim political arrangement in 2003. His presidency unfolded amid the continuing consequences of the Congo wars, foreign military intervention, displacement, and the struggle to restore state authority across a vast territory.

Under Kabila’s leadership, the country introduced a new constitution in February 2006 and prepared for national elections. The excerpt describes the elections as the first multiparty democratic elections since independence in 1960. Millions of voters went to the polls, hoping that the political process would help end the long war and return the country to peace and stability.

Kabila was the incumbent in the July 30, 2006 presidential election. He won 45 percent of the popular vote, but no candidate obtained a majority, so a runoff was required against Jean-Pierre Bemba. The election was considered a major turning point, although voting remained difficult in unstable areas such as Ituri and could not by itself resolve the continuing violence and resource exploitation.