Democratic Transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo After The Cold War

Abstract: This thesis has investigated the prevailing understanding of poor leadership as a major impediment to the democratization of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Analytical studies found evidences on the correlation between the authoritarian regimes installed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the abortive process of democratization under the leadership of Mobutu Sese Seko and Laurent-Désiré Kabila. It therefore raises attention on how the two leaders battled to cling on to power and obstructed the democratization of this country from 1990 to 2001. The investigation is based on a case study method with two units: Mobutu Sese Seko and Laurent-Désiré Kabila, and has used the leader’s conversion theory heralded by John Evans professor of political science, Richard Joseph. The process resulted in the findings that Mobutu Sese Seko and Laurent-Désiré Kabila hindered a successful democratization by short circuiting any democratic reform while consolidating their own respective powers. Noticeably, other factors beyond these two leaders’ control, mainly external involvements in domestic political realm, have also proved to have obstructed the democratization of the Democratic Republic of Congo under this period.