In the DRC, after a period of two years and eleven months at the head of government, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde gives up his place as Prime Minister. The announcement of his successor was made this Monday, April 1, more than three months after the legislative elections were held. Judith Tuluka Suminwa will take the reins of prime minister. Previously Minister of Planning in the Sama Lukonde II government, she was one of three women to hold a position within this administration.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
Judith Tuluka Suminwa was among three candidates finalized for the position. She thus becomes the first woman to occupy the position of Prime Minister in the DRC. A graduate in economics in Brussels, she gained her professional experience in the banking sector and at the UNDP, before embarking on a career within the national executive.
Her political career began as a member of the cabinet of the Minister of the Budget and then as deputy coordinator of the Presidential Strategic Watch Council (CPVS), an entity affiliated with the Presidency of the Republic.
Close collaborator of Felix Tshisekedi, she is one of the feathers behind the speeches of the head of state, her contributions being regularly praised for their relevance, according to several sources. A member of the UDPS, she maintains close ties with the presidential family.
Considered more as a technocrat than a politician, she will now be at the head of a government formed as part of an alliance including major political parties such as the UNC of Vital Kamerhe, the AFDC of Modeste Bahati and the MLC of Jean-Pierre Bemba.
Its mission promises to be complex, with the economic and security challenges to be met being colossal, particularly in the context of the last constitutional mandate of Félix Tshisekedi. His ability to navigate this charged political environment, while meeting public expectations, will be crucial.
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