CIVICUS discussed the presidential election in the Republic of Congo with Ivan Kibangou Ngoye, executive director of Global Participate, a civil society action-research organization focused on democratic governance based in Pointe-Noire.
On March 15, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, aged 82, won the election with nearly 95 percent of the vote, extending his 42-year rule. The outcome was no surprise: the two major opposition parties boycotted the vote, leading opposition figures were jailed or driven into exile, and independent observers were denied accreditation. On voting day, the borders were closed and the internet was cut. The non-competitive election produced the result for which it was designed.
How can the 94.8 percent result be explained?
The outcome of this election was predictable from the beginning, and for one fundamental reason: the legal framework gives free rein to electoral fraud. The electoral law lacks the necessary safeguards to prevent manipulation. The ruling party has systematically rigged the electoral process, excluding its opponents and independent civil society from any meaningful participation.
Independent civil society organizations (CSOs) were denied accreditation as observers, evidenced by a complete lack of transparency. Without independent observers, there is no external monitoring of the conduct of voting or the counting of votes.
The outcome was not the result of electoral competition; This was the logical outcome of a system designed to guarantee precisely this outcome. When the legal framework allows fraud, the opposition cannot campaign, observers are excluded and the government controls all administrative mechanisms, including electoral administration, the outcome becomes inevitable. This is not an anomaly but the product of a system designed to produce it and give it the appearance of democratic legitimacy. Therefore, the result was decided even before the polling station opened.
How was competition restricted?
Opposition parties and independent CSOs were not allowed to hold public meetings or openly campaign among voters. They were denied access to public media, preventing them from communicating with the people.
The country still operates under a prior authorization system: the government must approve all public political activity. This system creates a fundamental imbalance: the ruling party can hold its rallies freely, while the opposition is stopped at every turn. There is an urgent need to move towards a simpler notification system, in which CSOs and parties would inform authorities about their activities without requiring their consent. Without this change, the opposition has no legal mechanism to participate fairly in the election.
The imprisonment and exile of leading opposition figures sends a clear message: challenging Sassou Nguesso’s regime is criminalized. Two of the country’s most famous opposition figures have been in jail for almost a decade. When opponents cannot stand in the election, campaign or move around freely, the outcome is predetermined by both fraud and the physical elimination of alternatives. Elections are merely an administrative sham designed to legitimize the retention of power. This is not a real option, but a demonstration of state power over a silent population.
Why is the internet cut off during elections?
Since the advent of social media, every election has been accompanied by Internet blackouts, a deliberate measure taken by authorities to control the information transmitted during voting. Internet shutdowns directly strengthen the system of election fraud by preventing the spread of information on fraud, irregularities, or violations of voters’ rights. Without the Internet, people cannot share photos or videos from polling stations, observers cannot report anomalies in real time and citizens cannot coordinate movement monitoring efforts.
The Internet blackout effectively turns the country into an information-controlled zone where only government messages can be transmitted. This shows that the regime understands the power of social media as a tool of accountability and mobilization. This is an implicit acknowledgment that, without control over information, the regime cannot maintain its official narrative. This systematic practice ultimately exposes the weakness of the regime’s legitimacy.
How is civil society mobilizing despite restrictions?
Despite systematic restrictions, civil society organized itself by holding press conferences and workshops in private venues where authorities could not intervene directly. These meetings enabled civil society to coordinate strategies and strengthen cohesion among organizations, even with a limited number of participants. The press conference enabled direct engagement with the media, despite restrictions on access to public media. Civil society also used social media to document rights violations, organize people, and maintain public dialogue on election issues.
However, these strategies reveal the limits of resistance in a highly controlled environment. Meetings held in private locations have limited audience access and social media can be shut down at any time, as was the case on election day. We must continue mapping independent CSOs to identify and engage all those operating outside the regime’s control. We should also train CSO leaders in techniques of awareness raising and people mobilisation.
People must understand the nature of the regime that rules Congo-Brazzaville. The current regime is embodied by the Congolese Labor Party, a former Soviet-style party-state that was voted out of power at the ballot box in 1992, in the only free and transparent elections ever held in the country. The party returned to power by force of arms after overthrowing the democratically elected government. It is important to understand this history: it proves that democratic change is possible. When people understand the mechanisms of power capture and refuse to accept them, the regime loses its legitimacy, even if it retains formal control of the state.
What is the future of democracy in Congo after 42 years of rule?
Four decades of democratic transition under the same regime amounts to a systematic denial of the fundamental right of citizens to choose a different government through the ballot box. Sassou Nguesso’s fifth term solidifies an institutional framework designed to ensure that no one comes to power through democratic means.
This framework operates through a systematic contradiction between constitutional promises and practice. The constitution proclaims a multi-party system, but a law recognizes only those parties that pledge allegiance to the ruling power. The Constitution creates the position of Leader of the Opposition, but this leader is the head of the party affiliated with the ruling power. The constitution establishes an Advisory Council of Associations, but this body is linked to the office of the head of state to curb civil society. The country runs like a barracks.
We must expose and discredit this regime internationally by publicly condemning its supporters, especially the French government and oil multinationals. Independent civil society should increase awareness-raising campaigns both in person and online. The international community must apply sustained pressure, including diplomatic pressure, sanctions, and support for exile organizations. Without this combination of internal action and international pressure, democratic change will remain impossible. But it is possible. It happened in 1992, and it could happen again.
CIVICUS interviews a wide range of civil society activists, experts and leaders to gather diverse perspectives on civil society action and current issues for publication on its CIVICUS Lens platform. The views expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views of Civicus. Publication does not imply endorsement of the interviewees or the organizations they represent.
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Democracy: an enduring aspiration Civicus | 2026 State of Civil Society Report
‘Gabon remains at a crossroads between democratic transition and authoritarian continuity’ Civicus Lens | Interview with Sentiment Ondo 21.November.2025
‘The media and social networks are battlegrounds where rumors and disinformation are widely disseminated’ Civicus Lens | Interview with Kaberu Tairu 11.October.2025
© Inter Press Service (20260401075827) – All rights reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service
