Congo-Brazzaville 2026 election: youth at the centre
As the March 2026 presidential election draws nearer in the Republic of the Congo, political actors are multiplying appeals for mobilisation, mindful that turnout and youth participation may prove decisive. In this climate, Brice Itoua, a member of the Central Committee of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), the governing party, has addressed a pointed message to young Congolese voters: he encourages them to place their confidence in President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso.
Speaking to our newsroom, Brice Itoua presented the youth as the pivotal constituency of the coming ballot, arguing that their numerical weight and civic engagement confer a genuine capacity to shape the nation’s trajectory. In his reading, the election is less a moment of rupture than a test of political maturity, requiring a choice he describes as grounded in responsibility and continuity.
Brice Itoua’s message: stability, experience and continuity
Brice Itoua’s argument rests on a triad that he repeatedly returns to: experience in governance, preservation of peace, and continuity of the development agenda. He suggests that the incumbent president’s record and political longevity translate into an ability to anticipate risks and manage national priorities with steadiness—qualities he believes are particularly valuable in an international environment marked by uncertainty.
“The youth must be aware of its electoral weight and its power of decision. Voting Denis Sassou-N’Guesso means choosing experience, peace and a vision for a stable and prosperous Congo,” Brice Itoua said. The formulation is meant to resonate with first-time and young voters who are often courted with expansive promises but who also bear, in his view, a duty to protect the country’s cohesion.
Education, youth employment and entrepreneurship in focus
In detailing what he views as the substance behind his appeal, Brice Itoua highlighted efforts he attributes to the Head of State in favour of education, the employability of young people, and the encouragement of entrepreneurship. Without presenting the election as a referendum on a single sector, he framed these themes as practical indicators of a broader policy orientation aimed at equipping young citizens for modern economic and social challenges.
He also insisted that the coming period should be one of consolidation rather than dispersion. For him, the value of continuity lies in building upon what he describes as gains already secured—particularly initiatives intended to facilitate professional integration and to widen opportunities for youth-led projects.
Infrastructure and public investment: a case for consolidation
Brice Itoua further situated his call within a narrative of structural transformation, citing investments made in road infrastructure, energy, health, and education. He argued that such public works and sectoral improvements have contributed to better living conditions and to the strengthening of national cohesion, thereby providing a foundation for sustained economic and social development.
In his telling, these investments are not merely symbols of state presence; they also function as enabling conditions for private initiative, mobility, and access to services. He contends that, from the standpoint of young people seeking training, employment, or business opportunities, the consolidation of infrastructure is inseparable from the creation of a more predictable environment for ambition.
Civic responsibility: rejecting division and unrealistic promises
A notable element of Brice Itoua’s message is his caution against political rhetoric he considers polarising. He urged young citizens not to “yield to divisive discourse” or to what he portrayed as unrealistic pledges, calling instead for a vote he described as reflective and oriented toward the higher interest of the nation.
This appeal implicitly reframes youth participation not as protest for its own sake, but as a civic lever within democratic life. In this perspective, mobilisation should be “massive and responsible,” with political choice shaped by an assessment of national stability and the continuity of public action rather than by momentary passions.
Peace and national cohesion in a complex region
Brice Itoua also emphasised President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso’s profile as a guarantor of peace and stability. He placed this claim within a regional context that he described as sometimes affected by tensions and crises, arguing that the Republic of the Congo has preserved peace, social coexistence, and national unity.
For Brice Itoua, this stability is not an abstract diplomatic asset; it is a daily condition that enables young people to plan, study, innovate, and invest in their own futures. He thus links political continuity to the maintenance of a calm civic space in which personal projects and collective aspirations can mature.
Denis Sassou-N’Guesso’s stature and the choice facing young voters
In his closing remarks, Brice Itoua portrayed Denis Sassou-N’Guesso as a major figure in Congolese political life—an “experienced statesman” whose understanding of national and international issues, he argues, is strengthened by long familiarity with the country’s realities. In this view, longevity is presented not as an end in itself but as an accumulation of institutional memory and strategic judgement.
“To consider Denis Sassou-N’Guesso a blessing for Congo and its youth is to recognise his role in building a stable, ambitious country turned toward the future—one where the youth, strengthened by achievements and opportunities offered, is called to fully play its role in the edification of a prosperous and united nation,” said a defender of the President’s policy line.
With months still separating the electorate from the ballot, this intervention adds to a broader dynamic of support around the Head of State. For Brice Itoua, the message is ultimately straightforward: the youth vote, he contends, should serve the continuity of state action and the pursuit of development under a leadership he presents as the most credible to carry that project forward.
