Congo Republic’s Sassou wins re-election with nearly 95% in tightly controlled vote

BRAZZAVILLE, March 17 (Reuters) – Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso has been re-elected with 94.82% of the vote, state television said on Tuesday, extending his nearly 42-year rule over the Central African oil producer.

Diplomats and political analysts had expected an easy victory for Sassou, 82, who faced six little‑known challengers in a race whose run‑up was tightly managed by the ruling Congolese Labour Party.

The main opposition parties opted not to field candidates, citing a lack of transparency, and two of the best-known opposition figures, General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa, have been in jail for nearly a decade.

Ahead of the vote, human rights activists were arrested, several opposition parties were suspended and public gatherings were closely monitored, said Congolese human rights activist Joe Washington Ebina.

Sunday’s voting was marred by late openings at some polling stations and a nationwide internet blackout. 

State television on Tuesday reported turnout of 84.65%, though many polling stations in Brazzaville on election day had short or non-existent lines.

Sassou’s closest challenger, Mabio Mavoungou Zinga, 69, a retired customs inspector and former member of parliament, won 1.48% of the vote.

Defeated candidates have five days to file a challenge, and the Constitutional Court has 15 days to examine them before publishing final results. 

NEW TERM MEANT TO BE SASSOU’S LAST

Sassou is a former paratrooper who took power in 1979. He lost Congo’s first multi-party elections in 1992 but seized power again in 1997 after a civil war.

A constitutional change in 2015 scrapped term limits and the presidential age cap, enabling him to run for three additional five‑year terms.

This latest term is meant to be his last, sharpening focus on succession within the ruling party.

The economy, heavily dependent on oil, has stabilised in recent years after a decade-long downturn. Congo successfully completed a three-year IMF programme last year.

But over half the population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank, and many Congolese lack reliable access to electricity, running water and basic healthcare.

Congo has also faced persistent allegations of corruption, with French and U.S. prosecutors investigating assets held abroad by members of Sassou’s close family.

(Reporting by Congo Republic Newsroom; Writing by Clement Bonnerot; Editing by Bate Felix, Robbie Corey-Boulet and Ros Russell)