Kagame attends Denis Nguesso's swearing in as Republic of Congo president

The live streamed function at Kintele stadium, north of the capital Brazzaville, was presided over by President of the Constitutional Court, Auguste Iloki.

Nguesso vowed to guarantee peace and justice to all, to preserve national unity, the integrity of the national territory, sovereignty and national independence.

“The people have once again placed their trust in me...I pledge to spare no effort for the challenge of our country's development. I make a commitment here not to betray them,” he said.

He promised to “remain open to all constructive views” even from the opposition politicians as well as contribute to the resolution of conflicts that undermine the African continent.

Nguesso, 82, won the March 15 election with 94.90% of the votes cast, beating six candidates, according to the final results validated by the country’s Constitutional Court.

Two major opposition candidates boycotted the vote because of alleged unfair practices.

He first took power in 1979, lost the 1992 election and went into exile in France before returning in 1997 to seize power in an armed uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Pascal Lissouba.

He has since dominated politics. Running for the Congolese Party of Labor ticket, this is his fifth straight term after victories in 2002, 2009, 2016 and 2021, when he won more than 88% of the vote, following 2015 constitutional changes that reset term limits and removed the presidential age cap.

Several African presidents attended the ceremony including Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, João Lourenço of Angola, Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, who is also the African Union Chairperson and Comoros’s President Azali Assoumani, Ghana’s John Dramani Mahama and Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon.

Home to roughly 6 million people, the Republic of Congo is one of Africa’s major oil producers.

The country’s economy heavily depends on oil, which accounts for about 80% of its exports revenue, according to the World Bank.

Nguesso remains one of the longest-serving leaders in Central Africa and a significant figure in regional politics. The question of what comes after Nguessou is a common conversation.  The name of his son Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso, the International Cooperation Minister comes up in the succession debate-- but his potential succession could face resistance from other influential figures within the political establishment, according to analysts.