Republic Of Congo: Denis Sassou Nguesso Wins Presidential Election With 88.57% Votes

The Republic Of Congo’s incumbent Denis Sassou Nguesso won the presidential election with 88.57% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the electoral commission, reported Africa News.

The 77-year-old leader has been in power for the last 36 years, first taking the helm in 1979 and then again in 1997.

 After retaking power in 1997, following a brief civil war, Nguesso was elected in 2002 and then again in 2009, for his final seven-year term. But in 2015, he introduced constitutional reforms that removed the 70-year age limit that would have barred him from contesting polls the following year. The referendum also removed the two seven-year term limit and introduced three five-year terms.

Nguesso is well ahead of his main opponent Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who died from coronavirus on Sunday. Kolelas secured 7.84% of the vote followed by former Finance Minister Mathias Dzon with 5%, according to the results which can be appealed to the Republic Of Congo’s Constitutional Court.

The results were announced by Interior Minister Raymond Zephirin Mboulou on national television two days after the vote.

The incumbent president was widely expected to win the March 20 election which was boycotted by the main opposition. The voter turnout was 67.55%.

The Constitutional Court has one week to validate the outcome of the election. Sassou Nguesso’s inauguration is scheduled for April 16.

Mathias Dzon, One of the losing presidential election candidates, said he is planning to appeal to the Constitutional Court to cancel the official results, citing an article of the constitution “which provides for the cancellation of the ballot when a candidate dies or is unable to vote”.

However, the head of the national independent electoral commission said that the article in question is not applicable in this case.

Henri Bouka, who is also president of the Supreme Court in the Republic of Congo, said Kolelas died after the vote in Paris so in this case Article 70 cannot be revoked.