President Denis Sassou-Nguesso has won the presidential election in the Republic of Congo, according to provisional results announced on state television by Interior Minister Raymond Zephirin Mboulou. The 82-year-old leader garnered nearly 95% of the vote, pending certification by the Constitutional Court. Mabio Mavoungou Zinga of the Alliance party came second with 1.48%.
Nguesso has been the dominant political figure in the Republic of the Congo for most of the past 47 years. He first rose to power in 1979, served in an elite leadership circle beforehand, and after a five-year interruption in the 1990s—bookended by a bloody civil war—returned to power. Since the 2000s he has been widely seen as a source of political stability in a region marked by conflict. Many eligible voters in the country have never known another leader.
The March 15 vote featured seven challengers who were largely considered unknown and underfunded. Observers widely expected none to pose a serious challenge to the incumbent.
Supporters argue that Sassou-Nguesso’s long tenure provides needed continuity and stability in a volatile region. Adrien Poussou, a former Central African Republic communications minister, told DW: “We must not confuse a long reign with illegitimacy… The decisive factor here is not the duration, but the stability and continuity of state structures.”
Critics counter that stability alone is insufficient. Paul Akoa, a researcher at the Paul Ango Ela Foundation, and Darrin McDonald, a political scientist at Leeds Beckett University, point to poor economic performance and high youth unemployment—estimated at around 40%—in a country where about half the population is under 18. McDonald noted a cycle of accumulating and restructuring debt that has hindered development.
Regionally, Sassou-Nguesso is often viewed as a reliable peacemaker. He has been involved in mediation efforts over conflicts such as the DRC–Rwanda tensions, responded to the 2023 Gabon coup with early mediation offers, and joined African leaders in calling for an end to the Russia–Ukraine war. This regional standing contributes to his image as a steady partner for international actors.
Human rights groups have long raised serious concerns about his government. Two prominent opposition figures, Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and Andre Okombi Salissa, have been detained since 2018 and 2019; UN experts said their arrests were politically motivated. Amnesty International has reported hundreds of arbitrary arrests in recent years. In 2024 Freedom House rated the Republic of the Congo 17 out of 100 for political and civil liberties, and Transparency International ranked it 153rd out of 182 countries on corruption perception.
Andrea Ngombet, founder of the “Sassoufit” collective, told DW that tolerance for increasingly authoritarian rule is linked to the civil war that followed Sassou-Nguesso’s 1992 election defeat and his armed return to power. “His return came with guns, over the bodies of the Congolese people,” Ngombet said. “Any form of resistance ends either in prison or in a coffin.”
Succession is a recurring concern. Analysts say steps are being taken within the ruling party to prepare for a post-Sassou-Nguesso era, with factions supporting his son or other figures rising through party and paramilitary ranks. McDonald warned that outcomes range from a managed democratization to chaos, and argued that any transfer of power is more likely to occur upon the president’s eventual death than as a result of the election.
This article was translated from German. Eric Topona contributed to the report.
It was updated on March 18, 2026 to include the results of the presidential election
Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu