Demain Le Congo-Brazzaville has major misgivings [Fr] about the upcoming legislative election, scheduled for June 24th. For months Demain has been calling on President Denis Sassou Nguesso, without success, to establish an independent electoral commission to prevent the irregularities that have plagued past contests.

Moreover, 1807 candidates are running for 137 seats in the National Assembly, or about 15 candidates per seat. Demain writes,

…ce qui est énorme ! Sassou a multiplié les candidats pour deux raisons : la première sortir le plus d'argent possible des caisses de l'Etat et multiplier les chances de voir un des candidats du pouvoir occuper le siège car sur les quinze candidats pour un poste au moins treize soutiennent ouvertement le gouvernement…

…what a huge number! Sassou has increased the candidates for two reasons: the first is to funnel as much money as possible into the State's coffers and the second is to increase the chances of seeing a candidate of the [ruling party] occupy the seat, because for every fifteen candidates for a post, at least thirteen openly support the government…

Although all ministerial candidates were apparently offered 50 million cfa for their campaigns, Demain claims that Sassou has only given 15 million to his supporters and none to the opposition candidates, what few there are. And yet 150 million has disappeared from the national treasury. Demain concludes that the rest of the money must be going into Sassou's pockets.

“Sassou, by adopting electronic voting, won't forget to invent ficticious voters for his cronies,” Demain writes. “Whatever happens, he will proclaims the P.C.T., his party, the majority in the Assembly.”

In another post, while Sassou fears election-related violence, Demain blames Sassou‘s unwillingness to relinquish power and to introduce true democracy for the violence that afflicts Congo-Brazzaville and accuses him of practicing forms of violence on a daily basis:

En confisquant l'organisant des élections législatives et présidentielles, comment monsieur Sassou peut-il s'étonner qu'il y ait de l'orage dans l'air dans son pays ?…toutes les violences au Congo-Brazzaville ont une seule origine car elles viennent de Sassou Nguesso qui a peur de l'exercice véritable de la démocratie car il se sait mal aimé des populations du nord au sud du Congo. Il y a donc une solution pour qu'il n'y ait aucun risque de violence, monsieur Sassou : il faut que l'organisation des élections obéisse au protocole de transparence et d'équité que seule une véritable commission indépendante peut garantir. Encore une fois, Sassou stigmatise la violence potentielle en la niant car la seule violence autorisée, la seule qu'il admet est celle qui vient de lui. Or, la violence est multiforme : en affamant, en laissant les gens mourir sans soins, en condamnant sans raison, en laissant les gens boire de l'eau contaminée, Sassou pratique au quotidien des violences qui sont mortifères car elles sont réelles.

After taking over the organization of the presidential elections, how can Mr. Sassou be surprised that there is a dark cloud hanging over his country?..all of the violence in Congo-Brazzaville has a single origin, they come from Sassou Nguesso who is afraid of exercising true democracy because he knows he is not liked by the people in the north and south of Congo. Mr. Sassou, there is therefore only one solution so that there is no risk of violence: the elections must follow a protocol of transparency and equity that only a truly independent commission can guarantee. Once again, Sassou stigmatizes the potential violence, negates it because the only permissible violence, the only one he allows is the one that comes from him. This violence comes in many forms: by letting people starve, die without medical care, drink contaminated water, and convicting them without cause, Sassou practices daily forms of violence that are mortifying because they are real.

A l'approche des élections, on voit Sassou multiplier des actions démagogiques dans le seul but d'obtenir une majorité à l'assemblée et d'être réélu président de la république. Nous espérons que les Congolais ne seront pas dupes. Sassou parle de “dialogue” et de “consensus”. Il oublie que c'est du droit et du sens de l'équité et de la justice que peut sortir un véritable dialogue qui aboutira lui à un consensus.

As the elections approach, we see Sassou increasing his demagoguery for the sole goal of obtaining a majority in the Assembly and being reelected president. We hope that the Congolese people will not be fooled. Sassou speaks of “dialogue” and “consensus.” He forgets that it is from law and a sense of equity and justice that comes the true dialog that will can bring him consensus.