Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi returned home to Kinshasa on Tuesday to commence his presidential campaign. He was greeted by tens of thousands of supporters as he kicked off his campaign to replace President   Joseph Kabila in December elections Writes AP. He will be facing Joseph Kabila's preferred successor and former Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary. Tsisekedi  has chosen Vital Kamerhe, the third placed presidential contender in the 2011 polls. If victorious he will be made Vice President. In all, 21 candidates including some  Kabila critics will be vying for the country's top job.

He said that if he won the presidency he would set up a "truth and reconciliation commission" to call Kabila to account, but  would allow him to stay in the country, return to the rule of law, fight the

"gangrene" of corruption and to bring peace to the conflict-wracked eastern region of the  country. The 47-year-old Kabila, has ruled the country since his father, president Laurent-Desire Kabila, was assassinated

in 2001. He was supposed to step down after his constitutional mandate expired ended nearly two years ago, but he has remained in office thanks to a caretaker clause in the constitution.