Congo-Brazzaville’s president is re-elected after his rival dies of covid-19

“WE ARE CELEBRATING the victory of our president,” says Arnaud Oyaba, standing next to a sweaty, chanting crowd. “And because they will give us some money to buy juice,” he adds, as an afterthought. The president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, won an election on March 21st with 88% of the vote, despite being deeply unpopular. The celebration outside his party office when the results were announced two days later was about as authentic as his victory. Plump members of his Congolese Labour Party walked around handing out cash to enthusiastic dancers and those making the most noise. Everyone was kitted out in free T-shirts and hats, adorned with photos of the president. From time to time, Mr Sassou-Nguesso’s son appeared on the roof of the tall party office and gestured at the crowd to chant louder.Voters in Brazzaville, the sleepy capital of the smaller of the two Congos, had not seemed in a hurry to cast their ballots in the presidential election. At a polling station in the centre of the city, a handful strolled in an hour after it opened. Many stayed at home, knowing that Mr Sassou-Nguesso would win, whether or not he got the most votes. Mr Sassou-Nguesso is Africa’s third-longest-serving president, behind only the strongmen of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Nicknamed “the emperor” for his sharp suits and reluctance to leave office, he has been in power for almost 37 years, with a short break in the 1990s. Most people in Congo have never been governed by anyone else. In 2015 he removed the presidential age limit of 70 (he is 77) and so that he could stand in elections for ten more years.