Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Brazzaville (Agenzia Fides)- Congo Brazzaville will hold presidential elections on Sunday 12 July. Outgoing president Denis Sassou Nguesso, is expected to win. If re-elected he should govern the country for another seven year term, the last envisaged by the Constitution. President Nguesso governed the country from 1979 - 1992, with a Marxist style one-party regime. Following multiparty elections in 1992, won by Pascal Lissouba, he returned to power in 1997 after a bloody civil war. In 2002 he was elected President in elections boycotted by the Opposition.
The country's Catholic Bishops spoke on the matter in a Pastoral Letter issued in February with the title “Do not be afraid”. The Bishops repeated the call with which the Supreme Pontiffs, Pope John Paul II and then Pope Benedict XVI, began their Ministry, to call on the people of Congo to "take an active part in the electoral process to ensure a conscious, clear and free vote ”.
The Bishops ask for “elections which are free, fair and transparent and that the Body charged with preparing and organising the vote and making public the results is really free, fair and independent”.
Citing the encyclical of John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, “Church has no technical solutions and shows no preference for any one”, the Bishops give no indications for the vote, instead they call on the faithful to “assess the capacity of each candidate and his respective social programme, his attitude to good governance, moral honesty in managing public funds and respect for the sacred and inviolable nature of human life ”.
“With regard to the different social programmes, our vote must be preceded by reflection on the type of society we want for the years ahead: a more just and fraternal society”.
The Bishops remind the Congolese people of their responsibility “to ensure that the electoral process takes place in an atmosphere or peace without any form of violence, physical or psychological”, and the duty of the candidates “to respect the values of truth, realism, tolerance, and peace, before, during and after the elections”.
The Bishops urge all those actively involved “to avoid words and acts which provoke and could lead to tension or increase mistrust, cause violent confrontation and social splitting. No one, for example, should claim the victory of this or that candidate before the vote, since in democracy all candidates are equal and have a right to the same opportunities ”.
“Do not be afraid to serve the nation according to the values of the Gospel and to open the doors to Christ. God gives freedom of heart and spirit and the capacity to change things. The destiny of our country is also in our own hands ” conclude the Bishops. (L.M.) (Agenzia 10/7/2009 righe 37 parole 487)
