DR Congo PM Lukonde tenders his resignation, presidency says

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde attends a ceremony as the remains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba were symbolically handed over to the murdered leader’s children and to an official delegation, in Brussels, Belgium June 21, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

KINSHASA (Reuters) -Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, resigned on Tuesday, triggering the dissolution of his government, the presidency said in a statement.

The prime minister tendered his resignation to President Felix Tshisekedi eight days after the validation of his mandate as a national deputy. He will now join parliament as a member of the assembly.

Lukonde was appointed prime minister of the mineral-rich central African country in February 2021. He was aged 43 at the time.

After he was re-elected in December, Tshisekedi named a representative after his re-election in December to identify a majority coalition within the National Assembly in view of forming his next government.

(Reporting by Ange Kasongo, Writing by Sofia Christensen,Editing by Chris Reese and Timothy Heritage)