BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — The Republic of Congo is voting to elect a new leader Sunday as incumbent President Dennis Sassou N’Guesso runs for a fifth consecutive term.
Three million people are registered to vote in the election, which has been marked by a lethargic mood among young people who expect Sassou N’Guesso to win again, and a call for a boycott by opposition parties. Polls are expected to close by 7 p.m.
Six other candidates are challenging Sassou N’Guesso to vie for the top job of the oil-rich Central African country, which boasts one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa, but analysts say none of them can mount a significant challenge against the incumbent, who has been in power for 42 years.
The campaign 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, are paved with Sassou N’Guesso’s effigies.
Two other major parties are boycotting the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.
Sassou N’Guesso, running under the Congolese Party of Labor, first came to power in 1979 and was replaced in 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.
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 currently stands at 94.5% of its gross domestic product according to the World Bank, and skyrocketing unemployment rates for 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, only behind Cameroon ’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea ’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
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