Sassou N’Guesso won reelection in March with 94.8% of the vote, running against six candidates the Associated Press described as relatively unknown. The oil-rich Central African nation faces a sky-high debt-to-GDP ratio, according to the World Bank, and climbing youth unemployment.
Denis Sassou N’Guesso was sworn in Thursday to a new five-year presidential term in the Republic of Congo, extending a 42-year rule that makes him the third-longest-serving head of state on the African continent. The inauguration ceremony took place before a packed stadium in Kintélé, a town north of the capital, Brazzaville.
Sassou N’Guesso won reelection in March with 94.8% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. He ran against six candidates the AP described as relatively unknown.
In his inaugural address, Sassou N’Guesso said he would not “betray the people who mobilized to honor him and reaffirm their support.”
Economic challenges
The Republic of Congo, an oil-rich country in Central Africa, faces a sky-high debt-to-GDP ratio — a measure of the country’s debt compared to its economic output — according to the World Bank. The country also faces climbing youth unemployment.
Continental standing and constitutional context
Among Africa’s heads of state, Sassou N’Guesso’s tenure is surpassed only by Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, according to the AP.
His continued eligibility for office follows a 2015 referendum that removed both presidential age limits and term limits from the country’s constitution.