Congo: Voting irregularities, violence in Brazzaville during July 30 elections

Event

The second round of legislative elections took place nationwide on Sunday, July 30. According to media reports, the election was marked by voting irregularities and incidents of violence in the Ouenzé and Poto-Poto districts of the capital Brazzaville. In Ouenzé, an independent candidate decided to withdraw from the election after alleging that the vote had been marred by flagrant fraud following an incident in which soldiers attempted to vote without proper identity cards. The situation turned violent after opposition members questioned the soldiers. In Poto-Poto, opposition candidates also accused soldiers of attempting to commit fraud in favor of the ruling Congolese Labor Party (PCT); security forces reportedly shot into the air to disperse protesters, who reportedly threw stones at them. Related protests and further outbreaks of violence cannot be ruled out, particularly surrounding the release of official results expected in the coming days.

Context

The first round of elections in Republic of the Congo passed off relatively peacefully on Monday, July 10, with the exception of Kelle (Cuvette-Ouest) and Kingoue (Bouenza), where violent incidents were reported. Preliminary results of the first round indicate the ruling PCT won 70 percent of the vote. The PCT will likely preserve its majority in the National Assembly.

This election cycle has been characterized by a tense political climate, largely linked to the controversy following the reelection of longtime President Denis Sassou Nguesso in March 2016 as well as accusations of crackdowns on dissent and allegations of human rights violations in the country. Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis is ongoing in the Pool department amid armed conflict between Congolese forces and the militia group Ninjas Nsiloulou, which erupted shortly after Nguesso's reelection. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) also recently denounced repression taking place in the region of the capital Brazzaville.

Advice

Those present in Congo are advised to keep abreast of the situation, avoid all demonstrations and politically sensitive discussions, and follow the instructions of local authorities as well as those of their home governments.