The Government of DR Congo

DR Congo - Government

Based on the etymolgy of DR Congo, it was named for the Congo River, most of which lies within the DRC; the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters". The Government system in this country is the semi-presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 26 provinces (provinces, singular - province); Bas-Uele (Lower Uele), Equateur, Haut-Katanga (Upper Katanga), Haut-Lomami (Upper Lomami), Haut-Uele (Upper Uele), Ituri, Kasai, Kasai-Central, Kasai-Oriental (East Kasai), Kinshasa, Kongo Central, Kwango, Kwilu, Lomami, Lualaba, Mai-Ndombe, Maniema, Mongala, Nord-Kivu (North Kivu), Nord-Ubangi (North Ubangi), Sankuru, Sud-Kivu (South Kivu), Sud-Ubangi (South Ubangi), Tanganyika, Tshopo, Tshuapa

National symbols

Leopard; national colors: sky blue, red, yellow.

The flag

The National flag of DR Congo has sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner; blue represents peace and hope, red the blood of the country's martyrs, and yellow the country's wealth and prosperity; the star symbolizes unity and the brilliant future for the country.

The National Anthem

Title	"Debout Congolaise" (Arise Congolese)
Lyric/music	Joseph LUTUMBA/Simon-Pierre BOKA di Mpasi Londi

note: adopted 1960; replaced when the country was known as Zaire; but readopted in 1997

More about the government of DR Congo

Constitution
Date of Independence	30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
National holiday	Independence Day, 30 June (1960)
Legal system	civil law system primarily based on Belgian law, but also customary and tribal law
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Several previous; latest adopted 13 May 2005, approved by referendum 18-19 December 2005, promulgated 18 February 2006
Amendments	Proposed by the president of the republic, by the government, by either house of Parliament, or by public petition; agreement on the substance of a proposed bill requires absolute majority vote in both houses; passage requires a referendum only if both houses in joint meeting fail to achieve three-fifths majority vote; constitutional articles, including the form of government, universal suffrage, judicial independence, political pluralism, and personal freedoms, cannot be amended; amended 2011
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Felix TSHISEKEDI (since 20 January 2024)
Head of government	Prime Minister Judith SUMINWA Tuluka (since 29 May 2024)
Cabinet	Ministers of State appointed by the president
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 20 December 2023 (next to be held on 20 December 2028); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results	2023: Felix TSHISEKEDI reelected president; percent of vote - Felix TSHISEKEDI (UDPS) 73.3%, Moise KATUMBI (Ensemble) 18.8%, Martin FAYULU (ECIDE) 5.3%, other 2.6% 2018: Felix TSHISEKEDI elected president; percent of vote - Felix TSHISEKEDI (UDPS) 38.6%, Martin FAYULU (Lamuka coalition) 34.8%, Emmanuel Ramazani SHADARY (PPRD) 23.9%, other 2.7%; note - election marred by serious voting irregularities
Legislative branch
Legislature name	Parlement (Parliament)
Legislative structure	Bicameral
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of 26 justices and organized into legislative and judiciary sections); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)
Judge selection and term of office	Court of Cassation judges nominated by the Judicial Service Council, an independent body of public prosecutors and selected judges of the lower courts; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominated by the president, 3 by the Judicial Service Council, and 3 by the legislature; judges appointed by the president to serve 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts	State Security Court; Court of Appeals (organized into administrative and judiciary sections); Tribunal de Grande; magistrates' courts; customary courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Michael SHAKU YUMI (since 1 August 2024)
Chancery	1100 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20036
Telephone	[1] (202) 234-7690
FAX	[1] (202) 234-2609
Email address and website	[email protected] https://www.ambardcusa.org/
Representative office	New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Lucy TAMLYN (since 6 February 2023)
Embassy	310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa, Gombe
Mailing address	2220 Kinshasa Place, Washington DC 20521-2220
Telephone	[243] 081 556-0151
FAX	[243] 81 556-0175
Email address and website	[email protected] https://cd.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	5 (all natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Garamba National Park; Kahuzi-Biega National Park; Okapi Wildlife Reserve; Salonga National Park; Virunga National Park