This post discusses the political history of Congo before colonization down to the time of independence, the politics and cabinet of the republic of Congo.
HISTORY
Congo began as a king’s private domain (the Congo Free State), evolved into a colony (the Belgian Congo), became independent in 1960 (as the Republic of the Congo), and later underwent several name changes (to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then to Zaire, and back again to the Democratic Republic of the Congo) is the product of a complex pattern of historical forces. Some are traceable to the pre-colonial past, others to the era of colonial rule, and others still to the political convulsions that followed in the wake of independence. All, in one way or another, have left their imprint on Congolese societies.
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Further more, Belgian and Congolese political leaders held a Round Table Conference in Brussels beginning on 18 January 1960. At the end of the conference, on 27 January 1960, it was announced that elections would be held in the Congo on 22 May 1960, and full independence granted on 30 June 1960.
POLITICS OF CONGO
Politics in the Republic of the Congo takes place in a framework of a unitary semi-presidential republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government of a multi-party system.
Executive power is exercised by the President and the Government. Recently, following the approval of a new Constitution after a referendum in 2015, Congo became a semi-presidential republic after the creation of the post of prime minister who is responsible to the legislature, as well is the cabinet of the former. Legislative power is vested in both the Government and the two chambers of parliament.
Many countries have a semi-presidential republic and elections. However, having semi-presidential republic does not necessarily mean that a country is a democracy. A central, but not the only, component of democracy is free and fair elections, where the population can hold accountable those in power. Data collected from Freedom House, shows that the country scored 2/40 on political rights, and 15/60 on civil liberties; however, more specifically, the country scored 0/4 on whether there were free and fair elections.
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In terms of civil, political, and human rights, another tenant of democracy, another non-governmental organization, reports that the rule of law “only exists on paper” in the country; this follows suit from a report from Amnesty International, which documents how Alexander Ibacka Dzabana and Ras le Bol, both human rights leaders in the country were arrested the day after they announced they would hold a press conference to denounce election irregularities that occurred.
CABINET OF THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The Cabinet of the Republic of the Congo governs the nation.
The current government is that of Anatole Collinet Makosso which has been in place since 15 May 2021.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
| Main office-holders | |||
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
| President | Denis Sassou-Nguesso | Party of Labor | 25 October 1997 |
| Prime Minister | Anatole Collinet Makosso | Party of Labor | 12 May 2021 |
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Parliament has two chambers. The National Assembly elects its members to five-year terms in single-seat constituencies. The members of the Senate are elected for a six-year term by district, local and regional councils. The Republic of Congo is a one party dominant state with the Congolese labor Party in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.
