The Government of Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Republic of the Congo, it was named for the Congo River, which makes up much of the country's eastern border; the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 12 departments (departments, singular - department); Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha

National symbols

Lion, elephant; national colors: green, yellow, red.

The flag

The National flag of Republic of the Congo has divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; green symbolizes agriculture and forests, yellow the friendship and nobility of the people, red is unexplained but has been associated with the struggle for independence.

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

The National Anthem

Title	"La Congolaise" (The Congolese)
Lyric/music	Jacques TONDRA and Georges KIBANGHI/Jean ROYER and Joseph SPADILIERE

note: originally adopted 1959, restored 1991

More about the government of Republic of the Congo

Constitution
Date of Independence	15 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Legal system	mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
History	Several previous; latest approved by referendum 25 October 2015
Amendments	Proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; passage of presidential proposals requires Supreme Court review followed by approval in a referendum; such proposals may also be submitted directly to Parliament, in which case passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote of both houses in joint session; proposals by Parliament require three-fourths majority vote of both houses in joint session; constitutional articles including those affecting the country’s territory, republican form of government, and secularity of the state are not amendable
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of the Republic of the Congo
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (since 1997)
Head of government	Prime Minister Anatole Collinet MAKOSSO (since 12 May 2021)
Cabinet	Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 additional terms); election last held on 21 March 2021 (next to be held on 21 March 2026)
Election results	2021: Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (PCT) 88.4%, Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS (MCDDI) 8.0%, other 3.6% 2016: Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (PCT) 60.4%, Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS (MCDDI) 15.1%, Jean-Marie MOKOKO (independent) 13.9%, Pascal Tsaty MABIALA (UPADS) 4.4%, other 6.2%
Legislative branch
Description	Bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (72 seats; members indirectly elected by local, district, and regional councils by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms) note- the Senate is renewed in its entirety following a constitutional reform implemented in 2015 ending the renewal by half National Assembly (151 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections	Senate - last held on 20 August 2023 (next to be held 31 August 2029) National Assembly - last held on 10 and 31 July 2022 (next to be held in July 2027)
Election results	Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT 52, Independents 7, RDPS 3, MAR 2, Club 2002 PUR 2, PRL 1, UDLC 1, MCDDI 1, LCEM 1, UPADS 1, RC 1; composition - men 49, women 23, percentage women 34.7% National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT 112, UPADS 7, UDH-YUKI 7, MAR 4, RLP 2, CLUB 2002 2, DRR 2, RDPS 2, PAC 1, MSD 1, MDP 1, CPR 1, PPRD 1, CR 1, MCDDI 1, independent 6; composition - men 129, women 22, percentage women 14.6%; total Parliament percentage women 20.2%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); note - a High Court of Justice, outside the judicial authority, tries cases involving treason by the President of the Republic
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court judges elected by Parliament and serve until age 65; Constitutional Court members appointed by the president of the republic - 3 directly by the president and 6 nominated by Parliament; members appointed for renewable 9-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts	Court of Audit and Budgetary Discipline; courts of appeal; regional and district courts; employment tribunals; juvenile courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI (since 31 July 2001)
Chancery	1720 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone	[1] (202) 726-5500
FAX	[1] (202) 726-1860
Email address and website	[email protected] http://www.ambacongo-us.org/en-us/home.aspx
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Eugene S. YOUNG (since 30 March 2022)
Embassy	70-83 Section D, Boulevard Denis Sassou N'Guesso, Brazzaville
Mailing address	2090 Brazzaville Place, Washington DC 20521-2090
Telephone	[242] 06 612-2000, [242] 05 387-9700
Email address and website	[email protected] https://cg.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	2 (natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Sangha Trinational Forest; Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua