Congo’s 82-year-old president declares for another term

News Update

THE Republic of Congo will vote for its next president on March 12 and 15, with long-serving leader Denis Sassou Nguesso confirming he will once again stand for office.

The 82-year-old president announced his candidacy on Thursday while attending an agricultural fair, ending months of speculation over whether he would seek another term. Senior government officials and ruling party figures had repeatedly urged him to run.

“Yes, I am a candidate,” Sassou Nguesso said when asked directly about his intentions, according to local media reports.

Although the declaration was brief, its timing appeared deliberate. The announcement was made on 5 February, the same date Sassou Nguesso first took office in 1979, when the country was known as the People’s Republic of the Congo.

Nguesso has dominated Congolese politics for more than four decades. After ruling from 1979 to 1992, he returned to power in 1997 following a five year break marked by civil war. He has remained president ever since, winning elections in 2002, 2009, 2016 and 2021.

In 2015, he oversaw changes to the constitution that removed term limits and age restrictions, allowing him to remain eligible for the presidency. The move was strongly criticised by opposition groups, who accused the government of rewriting the rules to keep him in power.

Each of his re-elections has been followed by opposition protests, with critics alleging that the electoral process was tilted in favour of the incumbent. Authorities have consistently rejected those claims, while demonstrations have often been restricted or broken up by security forces.

With the March vote approaching, the confirmation of Nguesso’s candidacy sets the stage for another tightly controlled election in a country where political power has rarely changed hands.

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