2021 Republic of the Congo presidential election

Summary

Presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 21 March 2021.[1] Incumbent president Denis Sassou Nguesso was re-elected with 88% of the vote. His main opponent, Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas, died hours after polls closed.[2]

2021 Republic of the Congo presidential election

← 2016 21 March 2021 2026 →
Registered2,645,283
Turnout67.17%
 
Nominee Denis Sassou Nguesso Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas
Party PCT UDH-YUKI
Popular vote 1,539,725 138,561
Percentage 88.40% 7.96%

President before election

Denis Sassou Nguesso
PCT

Elected President

Denis Sassou Nguesso
PCT

Electoral system edit

The President of the Republic of the Congo is elected for a five-year term, with the possibility of a maximum of two re-elections. In the election, only the candidate who obtains an absolute majority of valid votes is elected. If no candidate reaches that majority, the two candidates with the highest votes face a second round twenty-one days after the results are announced by the Constitutional Court.[3]

Conduct edit

Telecommunications were cut off during election day at a national level,[4] mirroring events from the 2016 elections, a situation that was condemned by international organizations such as the African Union.[5]

Results edit

Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas, the opposition presidential candidate, died from COVID-19 on a plane en route to France for treatment, on the afternoon of the election.[6][7] Sassou Ngessou was reelected with 88.4% of the vote.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Denis Sassou-NguessoCongolese Party of Labour1,539,72588.40
Guy Brice Parfait KolélasUnion of Humanist Democrats-Yuki138,5617.96
Mathias DzonPatriotic Union for National Renewal33,4971.92
Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MboungouLa Chaine10,7180.62
Dave MafoulaSovereigntists9,1430.52
Albert OnianguéIndependent6,9770.40
Anguios Nganguia EngambéParty for Action of the Republic3,1570.18
Total1,741,778100.00
Valid votes1,741,77898.03
Invalid/blank votes35,0081.97
Total votes1,776,786100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,645,28367.17
Source: Constitutional Court[8]

References edit

  1. ^ "Congo: Denis Sassou Nguesso fixe la date de la présidentielle". Bénin Web TV (in French). 23 December 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Congo-Brazzaville: Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas dies from Covid on poll day". BBC News. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Congo, Brazzaville, Constitution 2015, MJP". mjp.univ-perp.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Internet shutdown in the Republic of the Congo on election day". NetBlocks. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  5. ^ Newsroom, APO Group-Africa; Commission (AUC), African Union. "AU Commission Chairperson calls for calm and restraint in Congo Republic as election results are awaited". african-union.africa-newsroom.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Congo's opposition candidate Kolelas dies a day after elections". Al Jazeera. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Congo-Brazzaville : Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, principal opposant de Denis Sassou-Nguesso, meurt du Covid-19". Le Monde (in French). 22 March 2021. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Décision No 003/dcc/el/pr/21 du 06 avril 2021 sur les recours aux fins d'annulation et de report de l'élection du Président de la Republique, scrutin des 17 et 21 mars 2021, et portant proclamation des résultats définitifs de ladite élection" [Decision No 003/dcc/el/pr/21 of 6 April 2021 concerning appeals aiming at cancelling and delaying the election of the President of the Republic, in the vote of 17 and 21 March 2021, and declaring the definitive results of this election] (PDF). Constitutional Court of the Republic of the Congo (in French). 6 April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.