Africa-Press. The government of the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) announced that the first round of the presidential election will take place on Saturday, March 15, urging Congolese voters to go to the polls on that date.
The official announcement ends speculation that has circulated in recent weeks regarding the election date. Contrary to reports in local and international media suggesting the elections would be held on Saturday, March 22, the government clarified that this date was not official and that the official date is March 15. Before the government announcement, many citizens were preparing to vote on March 22, before the matter was definitively settled.
Terry Mongala, government spokesperson, stated that the election date was set in response to a popular demand, emphasizing that the government is the only authority constitutionally empowered to determine the polling date. He added: “This date comes from the people and from a popular demand. The government has set the election date, and there are no changes or disruptions.”
Following the announcement, several candidates who had previously declared their intention to run for president refrained from commenting on the government’s decision.
The Congolese constitution stipulates that presidential elections must be held at least 30 days and at most 40 days before the end of the current presidential term. The current president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, was sworn in for his current term on April 16, 2021.
The electoral commission has not yet announced the final dates for submitting candidacies. In this context, the Congolese Labour Party has nominated President Denis Sassou Nguesso as its candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
Other candidates have been chosen by their political movements or have announced their individual candidacies, including former rebel leader Frédéric Bitsamou, known as Pastor Ntoumi, and Dave Mafoula, who was the youngest candidate in the previous presidential elections.
