President Denis Sassou Nguesso launches campaign for another term as Congo-Brazzaville prepares for March 15 presidential vote. Opposition candidates enter the race but face an entrenched ruling party and a history of contested elections….reports Asian Lite News
Congo-Brazzaville’s 82-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso has pledged to extend his decades-long tenure as campaigning began for the forthcoming presidential election in the oil-rich central African nation. The veteran leader formally launched his bid at a rally in the coastal city of Pointe-Noire, signalling his intention to secure another five-year term in office.
Thousands of supporters gathered in Pointe-Noire, the country’s economic hub and centre of its oil industry, to watch Sassou Nguesso arrive in an open-topped convertible at an event organised by his Congolese Labour Party. Campaigning is scheduled to conclude on March 13, with the first round of voting set for March 15.
Six opposition candidates have formally confirmed their participation in the race. Among them is 34-year-old first-time contender Destin Gavin of the Republican Movement. Despite the field of challengers, the opposition remains fragmented, and the ruling party has projected confidence in its electoral prospects. Roadside campaign posters have promised a “wave” in favour of the president, referring to him as the country’s “patriarch”.
Addressing supporters at the rally, Sassou Nguesso, dressed in a white shirt adorned with an elephant, struck an upbeat tone. “Have no fear, on March 15, we will win!” he told the crowd. Many attendees wore T-shirts bearing his likeness and chanted in support as music played and party officials took to the stage.
Sassou Nguesso, a career military officer, first came to power in 1979 under a one-party system. He led the country until 1992, when he lost Congo’s first multi-party elections to former prime minister Pascal Lissouba. In 1997, following a civil war, he overthrew Lissouba and returned to office. He has remained in power since then.
He won presidential elections in 2002 and 2009. After a constitutional amendment removed the upper age limit of 70 and extended the maximum number of terms, he was able to stand again in 2016 and 2021, winning both contests. Earlier this month, he announced he would seek a new five-year term, which, under the current constitution, would be his last.
Sassou Nguesso is among Africa’s longest-serving leaders, alongside Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, in office since 1982, and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who took power in a 1979 coup.
Congo-Brazzaville, a former French colony with a population of around six million, derives much of its revenue from oil production. Despite its natural resources, nearly half of the population lives below the poverty line. Economic challenges and employment opportunities are expected to feature prominently in the campaign.
While many young supporters at Saturday’s rally voiced confidence in the president, some also pointed to economic pressures facing ordinary citizens. “We came here to support him, but the Congolese people are suffering. What we want is work,” said Flora Kouka, a nurse attending the event.
In his address, Sassou Nguesso highlighted what he described as achievements in infrastructure and development, citing progress in road construction, the fossil fuel sector and farming. He also acknowledged the eventual need for generational change. “Our generation is laying the groundwork for the youth to pick up the torch one day,” he said.
Opposition figures have consistently contested the results of elections held since 2002, alleging irregularities. Two candidates from the 2016 presidential race, General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa, remain in detention following convictions for “attacking internal security” in 2018 and 2019.
As the campaign period unfolds, attention will turn to voter turnout, the conduct of the poll and the capacity of opposition parties to mobilise support. With voting just weeks away, the election represents a further test of Congo-Brazzaville’s political landscape under a leader who has dominated it for much of the past four decades.
