Martin Fayulu

Born in Kinshasa, Martin Fayulu is a former ExxonMobil executive, having worked with the oil company from 1984 until 2003. He served as the company’s director-general in Ethiopia as his last post. His involvement in politics began in 1991 when he attended the Sovereign National Conference in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) then Zaïre, which brought together delegates from different regions and organizations to campaign for a multi-party democracy. Fayulu did not enter politics full time until 2006. In the 2006 and 2011 general elections, he was elected as an MP to the National Assembly. In 2009, he established the Commitment for Citizenship and Development party. On November 11th, 2018, he was chosen by the opposition to be their joint presidential candidate in the December 2018 general election. Félix Tshisekedi was declared the winner, despite some election observers’ belief that Fayulu had won the vote. Since then, Fayulu has been the opposition leader in the DRC. He also serves as chair of the Congo-based Commitment to Citizenship and Development.