Sassou Nguesso wins Congo-Brazzaville election

Congo-Brazzaville’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso has won re-election with nearly 95 per cent of the vote, provisional results showed on Tuesday, extending his four decades in power by another five years.

Interior Minister Raymond Zephyrin Mboulou announced the 82-year-old secured 94.8 per cent, with turnout recorded at 84.65 per cent despite predictions of a record low. The constitutional court must still validate the results.

Six candidates challenged the incumbent, but the main opposition was divided and largely absent from the race.

Sassou Nguesso campaigned on his economic record, pointing to infrastructure modernisation and efforts to develop the gas and agriculture sectors. Oil and gas account for most of the state’s revenue, with growth estimated at 2.9 per cent in 2025.

The constitution bars him from standing again in 2031, raising questions about succession. In an interview with AFP, Sassou Nguesso said he would not remain “in power forever” and that the younger generation would get its turn, though he declined to name a potential successor.

A former paratrooper, Sassou Nguesso, first led the country under a single-party system from 1979 to 1992. He lost the first multiparty vote that year but returned to power in 1997 after a civil war that toppled the elected government. He has won every election since 2002.

SOURCE: AFP