{"id":1827820,"date":"2026-03-15T09:55:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T06:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1827820"},"modified":"2026-03-15T09:55:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T06:55:49","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-congo-brazzavilles-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1827820","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about Congo\u2011Brazzaville’s elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76311405_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AQ7G<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Portraits of President Sassou N’Guesso feature prominently in the capital, BrazzavilleImage: Roch Bouka\/REUTERS<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Voters in the\u00a0Republic of Congo<\/a> are choosing\u00a0a new leader on Sunday<\/a>, with the incumbent, President Dennis Sassou N’Guesso, expected to win again<\/a> after more than four decades in power\u00a0in the oil-rich central African country.<\/p>\n

Three million people from a population of 5.7 million are registered to vote in the election, which pits Sassou N’Guesso against six other candidates, none of whom\u00a0is seen as having a realistic chance of winning the top job.<\/p>\n

Two other major parties are boycotting the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.<\/p>\n

Voting stations opened\u00a0at 7:00 a.m. local time and are to close\u00a0at 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT).\u00a0Observers say voter turnout could reach a record low.<\/p>\n

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What you need to know about Congo\u2011Brazzaville’s elections<\/h2>\n

What is the situation in the Republic of Congo?<\/h2>\n

More than half the population of the Republic of Congo, sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, lives below the poverty line, despite the country possessing one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

Hydrocarbons accounts for more than three-quarters of export earnings.<\/p>\n

Critics of the government say the country’s growth has been hindered by the fact that huge amounts of revenue generated by oil has found its way into the pockets of senior officials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Republic of Congo also has high international debt that currently stands at 94.5% of GDP, according to the World Bank<\/a>, while struggling\u00a0with spiralling unemployment among\u00a0its young people.<\/p>\n

The government has already been targeted by several criminal complaints and investigations, notably in France, the former colonial power\u00a0with which the country still has close relations, while also maintaining close ties with Russia.<\/p>\n

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Five key African elections to watch in 2026<\/h2>\n

Who is Sassou N’Guesso?<\/h2>\n

Sassou N’Guesso first led the Republic of Congo under a one-party system from 1979 before losing the first multi-party elections \u2014 which he himself organized \u2014 in 1992.<\/p>\n

He then led a militia that\u00a0overthrew the winner in a four-month civil war in 1997 and returned to power.<\/p>\n

He was re-elected in 2002, 2009, 2016 and 2021<\/a> in votes the opposition said were undemocratic and lacking in transparency.<\/p>\n

A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing him to run again.<\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso has been accused by rights groups of persecuting opposition activists.<\/p>\n

Currently, two opposition figures who took part in the 2016 election campaign, Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa, are in jail with 20-year sentences for allegedly posing a “threat to internal security.”<\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso is now already the third-longest serving African president, behind Cameroon<\/a>‘s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea<\/a>‘s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.<\/p>\n

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Why do African politicians cling to power?<\/h2>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Saim Du\u0161an Inayatullah<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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Voters in the\u00a0Republic of Congo<\/a> are choosing\u00a0a new leader on Sunday<\/a>, with the incumbent, President Dennis Sassou N’Guesso, expected to win again<\/a> after more than four decades in power\u00a0in the oil-rich central African country.<\/p>\n

Three million people from a population of 5.7 million are registered to vote in the election, which pits Sassou N’Guesso against six other candidates, none of whom\u00a0is seen as having a realistic chance of winning the top job.<\/p>\n

Two other major parties are boycotting the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.<\/p>\n

Voting stations opened\u00a0at 7:00 a.m. local time and are to close\u00a0at 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT).\u00a0Observers say voter turnout could reach a record low.<\/p>\n

\n

What you need to know about Congo\u2011Brazzaville’s elections<\/h2>\n

What is the situation in the Republic of Congo?<\/h2>\n

More than half the population of the Republic of Congo, sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, lives below the poverty line, despite the country possessing one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

Hydrocarbons accounts for more than three-quarters of export earnings.<\/p>\n

Critics of the government say the country’s growth has been hindered by the fact that huge amounts of revenue generated by oil has found its way into the pockets of senior officials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Republic of Congo also has high international debt that currently stands at 94.5% of GDP, according to the World Bank<\/a>, while struggling\u00a0with spiralling unemployment among\u00a0its young people.<\/p>\n

The government has already been targeted by several criminal complaints and investigations, notably in France, the former colonial power\u00a0with which the country still has close relations, while also maintaining close ties with Russia.<\/p>\n

\n

Five key African elections to watch in 2026<\/h2>\n

Who is Sassou N’Guesso?<\/h2>\n

Sassou N’Guesso first led the Republic of Congo under a one-party system from 1979 before losing the first multi-party elections \u2014 which he himself organized \u2014 in 1992.<\/p>\n

He then led a militia that\u00a0overthrew the winner in a four-month civil war in 1997 and returned to power.<\/p>\n

He was re-elected in 2002, 2009, 2016 and 2021<\/a> in votes the opposition said were undemocratic and lacking in transparency.<\/p>\n

A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing him to run again.<\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso has been accused by rights groups of persecuting opposition activists.<\/p>\n

Currently, two opposition figures who took part in the 2016 election campaign, Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa, are in jail with 20-year sentences for allegedly posing a “threat to internal security.”<\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso is now already the third-longest serving African president, behind Cameroon<\/a>‘s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea<\/a>‘s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.<\/p>\n

\n

Why do African politicians cling to power?<\/h2>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Saim Du\u0161an Inayatullah<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Voters in the\u00a0Republic of Congo<\/a> are choosing\u00a0a new leader on Sunday<\/a>, with the incumbent, President Dennis Sassou N’Guesso, expected to win again<\/a> after more than four decades in power\u00a0in the oil-rich central African country.<\/p>\n

Three million people from a population of 5.7 million are registered to vote in the election, which pits Sassou N’Guesso against six other candidates, none of whom\u00a0is seen as having a realistic chance of winning the top job.<\/p>\n

Two other major parties are boycotting the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.<\/p>\n

Voting stations opened\u00a0at 7:00 a.m. local time and are to close\u00a0at 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT).\u00a0Observers say voter turnout could reach a record low.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

More than half the population of the Republic of Congo, sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville, lives below the poverty line, despite the country possessing one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

Hydrocarbons accounts for more than three-quarters of export earnings.<\/p>\n

Critics of the government say the country’s growth has been hindered by the fact that huge amounts of revenue generated by oil has found its way into the pockets of senior officials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Republic of Congo also has high international debt that currently stands at 94.5% of GDP, according to the World Bank<\/a>, while struggling\u00a0with spiralling unemployment among\u00a0its young people.<\/p>\n

The government has already been targeted by several criminal complaints and investigations, notably in France, the former colonial power\u00a0with which the country still has close relations, while also maintaining close ties with Russia.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso first led the Republic of Congo under a one-party system from 1979 before losing the first multi-party elections \u2014 which he himself organized \u2014 in 1992.<\/p>\n

He then led a militia that\u00a0overthrew the winner in a four-month civil war in 1997 and returned to power.<\/p>\n

He was re-elected in 2002, 2009, 2016 and 2021<\/a> in votes the opposition said were undemocratic and lacking in transparency.<\/p>\n

A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing him to run again.<\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso has been accused by rights groups of persecuting opposition activists.<\/p>\n

Currently, two opposition figures who took part in the 2016 election campaign, Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa, are in jail with 20-year sentences for allegedly posing a “threat to internal security.”<\/p>\n

Sassou N’Guesso is now already the third-longest serving African president, behind Cameroon<\/a>‘s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea<\/a>‘s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Saim Du\u0161an Inayatullah<\/em><\/p>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76311405_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AQ7G Portraits of President Sassou N’Guesso feature prominently in the capital, BrazzavilleImage: Roch Bouka\/REUTERS Voters in the\u00a0Republic of Congo are choosing\u00a0a new leader on Sunday, with the incumbent, President Dennis Sassou N’Guesso, expected to win again after more than four decades in power\u00a0in the oil-rich central African country. Three million people from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1827820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1827820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1827820\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1827820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1827820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1827820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}