Congo Republic voted in a Presidential poll on Sunday which is expected to extend the rule of President Denis Sassou Nguesso, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, with a visibly thin turnout underscoring a lack of suspense over the outcome.
Sassou faces a weak field of challengers, with two of the country’s best‑known opposition leaders in prison and others in exile. Several opposition parties boycotted the election, saying the process lacked credibility.
More than 3.2 million Congolese were registered to vote, although analysts and civil society groups predicted turnout to fall below the nearly 68% recorded in 2021, when Sassou won his previous five-year mandate with 88.4% of the vote.
Polling stations in the capital, Brazzaville, had short lines or no lines at all, a Reuters witness said.
After casting his ballot in Brazzaville, Sassou told reporters he hoped the enthusiasm he said he had seen on the campaign trail would be evident in the final turnout figure.
“We remain hopeful that what I heard throughout the campaign will materialise today,” he said.
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Voting was due to end at 17:00 , with counting starting immediately after. Provisional electoral results are expected 48 to 72 hours after polls close.
Sassou seized power in the oil‑producing nation in 1979 and has governed almost continuously since, except for a five-year hiatus in the 1990s.
He was running against six little-known candidates, none seen as serious contenders, with electoral bodies dominated by figures aligned with the ruling Congolese Labour Party.
“The opposition is fragmented and lacks a strong, emblematic figure,” said Remadji Hoinathy of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies. “There may be fatigue among voters, but that will not affect Sassou’s chances.”
The internet was down across the country on Sunday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said, making it difficult to get a full picture of how election day was unfolding.
–Reuters–
