The Republic of Congo’s constitutional court confirmed President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso’s election victory, awarding the 82-year-old leader a fifth term.
Sassou-N’Guesso won with 94.90% of the vote, cementing his grip on power amid domestic and international scrutiny.
The court rejected appeals from two challengers who had sought to annul the March 17 election results.
Provisional results from Interior Minister Raymond Zephirin Mboulou had already indicated Sassou-N’Guesso’s overwhelming lead with 94.82% of the vote.
Six candidates contested the presidency, but none matched the incumbent’s resources or nationwide political network during the campaign period.
Sassou-N’Guesso, a veteran of Congolese politics, first assumed power in 1979, briefly stepped down in 1992, then returned after a civil war.
Campaign trails showed a stark contrast, with Brazzaville streets adorned by the president’s effigies while opponents struggled for visibility.
Two major opposition parties boycotted the election, citing unfair practices and alleging systemic advantages for the ruling Congolese Party of Labour.
A 2015 constitutional referendum removed presidential age and term limits, allowing Sassou-N’Guesso to run for additional mandates.
The president is now Africa’s third-longest-serving leader, after Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
Congo faces daunting economic challenges, with international debt nearing 95% of GDP and youth unemployment soaring across the country.
More than half of Congo’s 5.7 million population lives in poverty, while 47% of citizens are under the age of 18.
Analysts warn the election outcome reflects entrenched power structures rather than widespread popular choice, highlighting challenges to democratic governance in the region.