Congo Republic's President Denis Sassou Nguesso is seeking to extend his rule in elections set for Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The 82-year-old former paratrooper first took power in the oil-rich Central African nation following a coup in 1979.

He lost Congo Republic's first multi-party elections in 1992 but returned to power again in 1997 after a civil war.

He has now ruled for a combined total of almost 42 years, making him Africa's third longest-serving leader, after Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Cameroon's Paul Biya.

To face off against six candidates

Sassou will face off against six candidates in the March 15 presidential election. Two of the main opposition parties are boycotting the vote, citing transparency concerns.

A 2015 constitutional reform reset the presidential term limit and allowed Sassou to stay in power. But it also capped presidents at three five-year mandates, meaning that, barring another reform, this is his last election.

The president, himself, has begun speaking more openly about eventual succession, telling young supporters at his campaign opening rally on February 28 that his generation was "laying the groundwork" for them to take over.

One potential successor is his son, Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso, who entered government as Minister of International Cooperation and Public-Private Partnerships in 2021, and has since taken on a higher public profile.

'Continuity'

Other figures within the ruling system who could take over are Jean-Dominique Okemba, head of Congo Republic’s National Security Council and a nephew of the president, and Jean-Jacques Bouya, the Minister of Spatial Planning and Major Works and a cousin of Sassou's.

A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's succession plans.

Sassou's campaign has focused on continuity. Five years ago, his slogan was "Let us continue the march towards development". This year, it is "Let us accelerate the march."

Congo Republic is currently one of Central Africa’s more stable states, politically and economically.

Economy

The economy returned to modest per-capita growth in 2024 after a decade-long recession triggered by a slump in global oil prices. Oil still accounts for about half of Congo Republic's GDP and 80% of its exports.

The debt-to-GDP ratio, which peaked at 103.6% in 2020, fell to about 93.6% in 2024, and a three-year IMF programme completed last year helped stabilise public finances. Liquidity pressures remain, with debt servicing on the regional market absorbing half of the country's tax revenues.

Sassou has promised new infrastructure upgrades, increased investment in agriculture and economic diversification.