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Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique du Congo
local short form: none
former: Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
Data code: CF
Government type: republic
Capital: Brazzaville
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regions, singular—region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
Independence: 15 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Congolese National Day, 15 August (1960)
Constitution: new constitution approved by referendum March 1992 but is now being redrafted by President SASSOU-NGUESSO
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October
1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president
Pascal LISSOUBA); note—the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: normally the prime minister, appointed from
the majority party by the president; however, since his inauguration,
President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO has been both chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July
1997 but will be delayed for several years pending the drafting
of a new constitution)
election results: Pascal LISSOUBA elected president in 1992; percent
of vote—Pascal LISSOUBA 61%, Bernard KOLELAS 39%; note—LISSOUBA
was deposed in 1997, replaced by Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Transitional Council (75 seats, members elected by reconciliation
forum of 1,420 delegates; note—the National Transitioanl
Council replaced the bicameral Paarliament in mid-1997
elections: National Transitional Council—last held NA January
1998 (next to be held NA 2001); note—at that election the
National Transitional Council is to be replaced by a bicameral
assembly
election results: National Transitional Council—percent of
vote by party—NA; seats by party—NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: the most important of the many political parties are Congolese Labor Party or PCT [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Association for Democracy and Development or RDD [Joachim YHOMBI-OPANGO, president]; Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [leader NA]; Union for Development and Social Progress or UDPS [Jean-Michael BOKAMBA-YANGOUMA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC; Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in
the US:
chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge
MOMBOULI
chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
Diplomatic representation from
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Aubrey HOOKS
embassy: Avenue Amilcar Cabral, Brazzaville
mailing address: B. P. 1015, Brazzaville
telephone: [242] 83 20 70
FAX: [242] 83 63 38
note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa,
310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)
Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia