Denis Sassou Nguesso
The Republic of Congo ’s President Denis Sassou N’Guesso has been reelected for a fifth consecutive term, according to provisional results announced Tuesday by the authorities.
Sassou N’Guesso won 94,82% of the vote, Interior Minister Raymond Zephirin Mboulou announced on state television.
Six other candidates challenged the 82-year-old for the top job in the Central African country that boasts one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.
The internet was shut down across the country as usual during the presidential election and traffic was restricted across the capital.
The interior minister reported a turnout of 84.65% and 2.6 million ballots cast. But many polling stations in the capital, Brazzaville, saw short or non-existent lines, as locals said they did not believe the election would result in a change in leadership from Sassou N’Guesso, who has ruled for 42 years.
Sassou N’Guesso, running for the Congolese Party of Labor, first came to power in 1979 and ruled until 1992, when he organized the country’s first multi-party elections. He returned to power as a militia leader following a four-month civil war in 1997.
The campaign period showed a vast mismatch between Sassou N’Guesso and his opponents, with the incumbent being the only candidate to travel around the country to canvass for votes. Roads in the capital city, Brazzaville, were paved with Sassou N’Guesso’s effigies.
Two other major parties boycotted the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.
A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing him to run again.
The country is struggling with high international debt, which stands at 94.5% of its gross domestic product, according to the World Bank, and with skyrocketing unemployment among young people. More than half the country’s 5.7 million population lives in poverty and 47% of the country’s population is under 18.
The election is the latest in a trend of octogenarian African leaders clinging to power. Sassou N’Guesso is the third-longest-serving African president, behind Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
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