Republic of Congo election: Who is running and what's at stake?

"Voters in the Republic of Congo will choose their next president on Sunday, although longtime leader Dennis Sassou Nguesso is likely to be elected unchallenged, analysts say. The central African nation, which has been led almost continuously by Nguesso for more than 40 years, is one of the most politically repressive in the world, with Freedom House giving it a 17 out of 100 rating for freedom."

"The country is Africa's third-largest oil exporter. It sells between 236,000 and 252,000 barrels per day, alongside copper and diamonds. Congo is also highly biodiverse. Sprawling expanses of tropical rainforest in the country form part of the Congo Basin the second-largest rainforest network in the world after the Amazon."

"Still, the country of 6 million people is racked by economic woes. Corruption and mismanagement, analysts say, contribute to Congo being 171st of 193 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index. A fractured political opposition, meanwhile, has only allowed Nguesso's governing Congolese Labour Party (PCT) to consolidate power over the years."

The Republic of Congo holds presidential elections on March 15, with longtime leader Dennis Sassou Nguesso poised for re-election after ruling for more than 40 years. The nation ranks among the world's most politically repressive, scoring only 17 out of 100 on Freedom House's freedom index. Despite being Africa's third-largest oil exporter and possessing significant biodiversity including part of the world's second-largest rainforest, Congo faces severe economic hardship, ranking 171st of 193 countries on the UN Human Development Index. Corruption and mismanagement plague the nation, while a fractured political opposition has enabled Sassou Nguesso's Congolese Labour Party to maintain consolidated power. Over 2.6 million eligible voters are registered for the election.

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