CONGO – Denis Sassou Nguesso was appointed President of the Republic for a fourth term

The president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, winner of the last elections on March 21, 2021, was officially installed in his office on Friday, April 16. In front of some twenty African heads of state who came to attend the inauguration ceremony, the 77-year-old man was sworn in for a fourth term as head of Congo, a country rich in oil and wood.

Denis Sassou Nguesso was invested in a fourth term at the head of the Congo this Friday, April 16. He was sworn in before his counterparts, who came to attend the ceremony. These are the Heads of State of the countries of Guinea, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo. However, Algeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Rwanda and South Africa were represented by their Prime Minister or a senior official.

Denis Sassou Nguesso, qualified as emperor by the Guinean heads of state Alpha Condé and Ivorian Alassane Ouattara, for his longevity in power 37 years on the clock, promised socially and economically to improve the lives of Congolese. In terms of environmental protection, he pledged to “give Congo the global dimension it deserves in terms of protecting the environment and biodiversity”, ironically referring to a “green Africa” instead of a “black Africa”. Politically, he promised to fight against illicit enrichment and misappropriation of public funds through his “zero tolerance policy”. The Head of State intends to lead the country in full transparency without any violation of the financial law. Nothing will be tolerated for Ministers or Ministers.

It should be noted that, according to the final results validated by the Constitutional Council, Denis Sassou Nguesso was elected during the presidential election on 21st March, with 88.40% of the votes cast. His main opponent, Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, died of Covid-19 the day after the election when he was about to be evacuated to France.

Denis Sassou Nguesso, along with Cameroonian Heads of State Paul Biya and Equato-Guinean Teodoro Obiang Nguema, forms the trio of presidents of Central Africa, who have been in power for the longest time. Defeated in the first pluralist election in 1992, he returned to business in 1997 following a bloody civil war he won against the regime of former President Pascal Lissouba, with the support of Angolan troops.