Congo election slated for March 21

Presidential election in the Republic of the Congo will take place on March 21, 2021. President Denis Sassou Nguesso made this known in his state of the nation address before parliament Wednesday.

Our Congolese correspondent, Cédric Sehossolo said that as the Congolese president evokes strict adherence to constitutional deadline, opposition figures believe the conditions are not yet met.

‘’Can't the elections be postponed for two or three months to allow time for the competent bodies to organize the pre-election operations?’’, Crepin Gouala, leader of the opposition Alliance pour l’République a la d démocratie (ARD) queried.

For an independent candidate, Pandi Ngouari ‘’this kind of injustice is imposed on us by the same generation as a soccer team that trains for years even though we are aware that the referee is not always fair, but we are forced to go and beat this team on its own field with its own referee’’, he said.

The population seem indifferent. It’s a posture reinforced by the general containment decreed on December 25 and January 1 to fight against the coronavirus.

‘’As a driver, I am not concerned with the elections. I manage my business not politics, whether he is a candidate or not, it doesn't matter to me’’, a resident said.

Sehossolo reports that ‘’although called upon to run for office by his political party, Sassou Nguesso has so far kept his position a mystery.’’