Forty cumulative years in power: in Congo-Brazzaville, elections are not scheduled until 2026, but everything seems to indicate that octogenarian Denis Sassou-Nguesso will be a candidate again. “He makes no secret of it,” a diplomat told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In the whirlwind of coups d'état which have shaken Africa since 2020, in particular former French colonies (Mali, Burkina, Niger, Gabon, etc.), a rumor spread in September 2023 on social networks claiming that A putsch was underway in Brazzaville.
But all was calm in the oil-producing country of Denis Sassou-Nguesso, 80, a soldier who first led Congo under one-party rule from 1979 to 1992, then returned to business after a civil war in 1997.
Elected in 2002, re-elected in 2009, he was able to run and win the presidential elections of 2016 and 2021, after a change in the Constitution which in 2015 raised the age limit (70 years) and increased the possible number of candidates to three. five-year terms.
“The lack of vision of political actors”
He is among those described as "dinosaurs" on the continent, but "the Congolese regime is still there", while younger people have been swept away "by pro-Russian juntas", notes the government spokesperson and minister of communication, Thierry Moungalla.
“Dégagisme has never led to anything,” also believes Perfect Iloki, spokesperson for the presidential party, the Congolese Labor Party (PCT, formerly Marxist-Leninist, now social-democratic).
As for old age, “it’s not a problem, it’s wisdom,” he thinks. “Besides, how old is the president of the world’s leading power? », quips Mr. Iloki, in an allusion to the 81st birthday of American President Joe Biden. The recent election in Senegal of a 44-year-old “anti-system” president was also observed in the Congo with a touch of envy but without illusion.
“Senegal has a democratic tradition,” comments chaplain Jonas Koudissa, director of the Brazzaville Catholic Academy for Ethics (Accabe). “Here, I do not see how a change of this nature could occur,” continues the abbot, deploring “the lack of vision of political actors”, who take advantage of their situation but do not worry about the future of their country, where 47% of the 5.7 million inhabitants are under the age of 18 according to the World Bank.
“Overall, we are regressing,” says Maixent Animba, of the Forum for Governance and Human Rights (FGDH). “In terms of freedom of expression, access to state media, the right to demonstrate, recognition of parties and NGOs”, lists the activist, who also cites “electoral fraud”, “wastefulness and embezzlement public funds”, justice “to order”, “the privatization of the country”…
“Where is the money going? »
According to him, “the screw was tightened” after 2015, when demonstrations against the change of Constitution “mobilized a lot” and “the regime realized that it was hanging by a thread”. “We are not afraid, but we are careful,” adds Mr. Animba. “Here, we pay attention to what we say, otherwise we end up in trouble,” confirms in his own way and under cover of anonymity a taxi driver, convinced that “Sassou will never leave.”
“We want new blood! », says Eveline, 55, who came to do her shopping at the Total market, the largest in Brazzaville. “One clan has a lot of money, but we don’t. (…) There is no work, our children’s diplomas are sleeping at home, we cannot get treatment…”
Along the muddy aisles of the market, everyone talks about life being too expensive and difficult, especially since the price of fuel has increased in recent months – in the name of “truth pricing” advocated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to the government spokesperson.
Brazzaville residents also deplore the frequent electricity and water cuts, wondering “where the money” from oil is going. “There is a very poor use of money”, believes the leader of the opposition, Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, who criticizes “flashy projects”, like these two thirty-story twin towers which have just been added to the capital located on the right bank of the Congo River.
He also thinks that Denis Sassou-Nguesso will run again in 2026. Faced with an all-powerful PCT, the opposition is fragmented, muzzled, without resources. “We are a little tense, as if we lacked confidence in ourselves,” regrets the opponent.
