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 in the area. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 15 departments; Bouenza, Brazzaville, Congo-Oubangui, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Djoue-Lefini, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Nkeni-Alima, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha

National symbols

Lion, elephant.

The flag

The National flag of Republic of the Congo has .

The National Anthem

Title
Lyric/music

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 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
Amendment process	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
Election/appointment process	president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 additional terms)
Most recent election date	21 March 2021
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%
Expected date of next election	21 March 2026
Legislative branch
Legislature name	Parliament (Parlement)
Legislative structure	Bicameral
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)
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 (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Firmine BOUITY (since 6 September 2025)
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 (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Amanda S. JACOBSEN (since 18 July 2025)
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