By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Constitutional court in the Republic of Congo on Saturday affirmed the election of President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso as the country’s President, giving the 82-year-old leader a fifth term in office.
“The president Denis Sassou-N’Guesso is elected with 94.90% of the vote, representing an absolute majority,” president of the constitutional Court, Auguste Iloki said at the end of the hearing.
Provisional results announced March 17 by Interior Minister, Raymond Zephirin Mboulou placed Sassou-N’Guesso in the lead with 94.82% of the vote.
Six other candidates slogged it out with N’Guesso for the top job in the Central African country, housing one of the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa.
Two of his challengers had rejected the provisional results last week. One of them, Uphrem Mafoula, had filed an appeal with the constitutional Court seeking to annul the election. The constitutional Court however rejected the appeal on Saturday.
The election is the latest in a trend of octogenarian African leaders clinging to power.
Sassou N’Guesso is the third-longest-serving African president, only behind Cameroon ’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea ’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
Sassou N’Guesso, first came to power in 1979 and ruled until 1992 when he organized the country’s first multi-party elections. He returned to power as a militia leader following a four-month civil war in 1997.
The campaign period showed a vast mismatch between Sassou N’Guesso and his opponents, with the incumbent being the only candidate to travel around the country to canvass for votes. Roads in the capital city, Brazzaville, were paved with Sassou N’Guesso’s campaign posters.
Two other major parties boycotted the elections over allegations of unfair electoral practices.
A constitutional referendum in 2015 removed presidential age and term limits, allowing N’Guesso to run again.
