 Kabila had been a committed Marxist, but his policies at this point were social democratic.He declared that elections would not be held for two years, since it would take him at least that long to restore order.While some in the West hailed Kabila as representing a "new breed" of African leadership, critics charged that Kabila's policies differed little from his predecessor's, being characterised by authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.