(3 minutes read)
· The Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso has visited the Plateaux regions as the country is preparing for the presidential election on March 21
· He was there to launch the Djambala-Lekana power line. The rural areas in the region are known for their gross inadequate electricity access
· As one of the rulers in power for maximum number of time-36 years-Sassou (77) is the boldest candidate and is one among the eight candidates in the fray
The Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso has visited the Plateaux regions as the country is preparing for the presidential election on March 21. He was there to launch the Djambala-Lekana power line. The rural areas in the region are known for their gross inadequate electricity access. Less than 10% of the villages have access to electricity. The project is expected to enhance the access considerably.
The visit of the President came as also a precursor of a campaign, which is set to begin. As one of the rulers in power for a maximum number of time-36 years-Sassou (77) is the boldest candidate and is one among the eight candidates in the fray. His main challengers include Mathias Dzon, 73, former Minister of Finance (1997-2002) and Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas, 60, who came in second place in the 2016 vote. The incumbent is a retired army general. He first ruled the country between 1979 and 1992 under the one-party regime and had won all polls with contested results since 2002.
The Republic of Congo conducted a referendum in 2015 to remove a 70 year age limit and a ban on presidents serving more than two terms. That helped Sassou Nguesso to secure a third term in elections in March 2016, which led to bloodshed. Many people including former general Jea Salissa, disputed the results of the referendum terming it as a fraudulently obtained verdict. They were all arrested and put behind jail for 20 years on charges of undermining state security. Congo is an oil-rich country but poverty and destitution rule high in the fragile democracy.
