Sassou-Nguesso holds lead in presidential elections

Republic of Congo (ROC) President Denis Sassou-Nguesso appears to be on his way to victory in his nation's first presidential elections since 1992, when he lost to Pascal Lissouba, news agencies reported on Monday. However, results were only partially counted, after polls closed at 2000 local time on Sunday evening. A victory would earn Sassou-Nguesso seven years in office and a firm grip on power, thanks to January's constitutional reform which, critics say, makes the ROC a virtual monarchy, Reuters reported. Voter turnout among Congo's 1.7 million registered voters was reportedly low, with Sassou-Nguesso's primary opponents out of the race. Some voters blamed the low turnout on disorganisation, claiming that many names had been omitted from voter rosters, the BBC reported. Former Prime Minister Andre Milongo, considered to be Sassou-Nguesso's main challenger, withdrew from the race on Friday, claiming irregularities. He urged his supporters to boycott the elections, but cautioned against resorting to violence. "My withdrawal is not a pretext for disorder. Elections should not be confused with armed struggle," Milongo was quoted as telling Reuters on Saturday. It was not clear if low voter turnout was related to his call for a boycott. Meanwhile, Lissouba and another former prime minister, Bernard Kolelas, were barred from entering the race, having been tried and convicted in absentia for crimes allegedly committed during the civil war. The six remaining challengers posed little threat, according to regional analysts. Electoral officials noted minor irregularities, but there were no reports of violence, according to AP. Joaquim Miranda, head of a 43-member European Union observer mission, told AP that his team had detected no major problems in the run-up to the vote. "Essentially what we want to see is that the results of the election reflect the desires of the population," Miranda was quoted as saying. The winner must earn more than 50 percent of the vote, or face a run-off with the second-place candidate on 7 April. Legislative and municipal elections are scheduled to be held in May and June, respectively. Sassou-Nguesso, 59, first seized power in a 1979 military coup. Following his defeat to Lissouba in 1992, he again seized power in October 1997, in advance of elections in which he was due to oppose Lissouba. Sassou-Nguesso, in turn, faced a rebellion launched by militias loyal to Lissouba and Kolelas in 1998. Civil war displaced up to one-third of ROC's 3.1 million residents and left some 10,000 dead. Cease-fire agreements were signed by all sides at the end of 1999. The ROC, an oil-rich country bordering the much larger Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a former French colony that gained independence in 1960.