Opposition unity takes shape before the 2026 vote
Forty delegates gathered on 14 September, some physically in Brazzaville and others connected by videoconference, to give institutional flesh to the Rassemblement des forces du changement (RFC). Three months after an interim steering committee was announced, the coalition has opted for a durable hierarchy intended to survive the intense pre-electoral season stretching to March 2026.
The atmosphere inside the hall was described as studious rather than euphoric, a sign, participants argued, of the gravity of the task. Several speakers recalled that the country’s next presidential election will take place under the 2015 Constitution, which re-introduced a second-round provision should no candidate achieve an absolute majority, thereby reinforcing the premium on alliances. In that context, the RFC leadership insists that the platform must move beyond symbolic protest and field a single nominee capable of converting disparate votes into an arithmetical path to the Palais du Peuple.
A tri-partite leadership balancing experience and reach
Delegates re-elected economist and veteran opposition figure Clément Miérassa, head of the Parti social-démocrate congolais, as president of the platform. In his acceptance speech he described his mandate as “simultaneously exacting and ennobling” because, he said, “the Republic is facing profound social and economic challenges that require the mobilisation of every constructive voice.”
Miérassa will be supported by Marcel Guitoukoulou of the Congrès du peuple, appointed first vice-president, and Jean-Jacques Serges Yhomby Opango of the Rassemblement pour la démocratie et le développement, second vice-president. The triumvirate presents, according to supporters, a balance between political seniority, regional anchorage and generational appeal—an asset when courting voters born after the country’s transition of the early 1990s.
The 25 million CFA deposit: safeguard or obstacle?
The law maintains a candidacy bond of 25 million CFA francs, roughly 32 000 euros. Government jurists argue that the amount, unchanged since the 2021 ballot, is meant to guarantee the seriousness of contenders and to spare the Constitutional Court a deluge of applications lacking nationwide implantation. Officials also underline that the deposit is reimbursed to any candidate obtaining at least 5 % of valid votes, making it, in their view, a neutral filter rather than a fiscal barrier.
Within the RFC, however, Miérassa called the threshold “prohibitive” and asserted that it “implicitly reserves the race for those who benefitted from public resources.” His remarks echo a broader continental debate over whether high deposits entrench incumbency by linking political rights to financial capacity. At the same time, several civil-society organisations note that neighbouring states have set comparable or higher thresholds in absolute terms, reinforcing the position that Congo-Brazzaville is not an outlier but part of a regional normative trend.
Electoral list revision and institutional calendar
The Ministry of Territorial Administration has launched the statutory revision of electoral wp-signup.phps, scheduled to close on 30 October. The operation, observers recall, is conducted under the mixed technical supervision of the General Directorate for Electoral Affairs and local administrative committees where political parties—ruling and opposition alike—hold consultative seats. The RFC has encouraged its militants to assist citizens in verifying their entries, viewing the exercise as a pragmatic test of its organisational outreach.
For its part, the government communicates that the revision is essential to integrate new voters, remove duplicates and reflect demographic movements since the 2021 cycle, thereby shielding the upcoming poll from litigation. While opposition activists will monitor field operations closely, several acknowledge that the procedure’s regularity in previous cycles has reduced the margin for contentious disputes over raw figures.
À retenir
The RFC’s structural consolidation confirms that the 2026 race has already begun in earnest; the candidacy deposit remains the key point of legal contention; and both the authorities and the opposition place voter registration at the centre of their immediate priorities.
Le point juridique/éco
Under Law n°35-2020 regulating presidential elections, the Constitutional Court is empowered to publish the definitive candidate list no later than forty-five days before polling day. The financial deposit is lodged with the public treasury and reimbursed within fifteen days of the proclamation of results where the legal threshold is met. Economists calculate that, assuming the traditional field of a half-dozen candidates, the immobilised capital represents less than 0.01 % of annual state revenue, suggesting a limited macroeconomic footprint while still offering a behavioural incentive for programme-based campaigning.