Rights
The 2015 constitution, which removed the two-term limit
The constitution approved by referendum in October 2015 replaced the 2002 text, raised the presidential age limit and reset term limits, permitting a further candidacy. It creates a Constitutional Court and a bicameral parliament.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Cour constitutionnelle rules on constitutionality and electoral disputes.
- Deadline — Presidential term: five years, renewable twice under the 2015 text
- Deadline — Election petition: filed within fifteen days of proclamation
Governing law
- Constitution de la République du Congo2015
- Loi organique on the Cour constitutionnelle
- Loi n° 9-2018 portant code électoralas amended
In practice
The 2015 referendum is the defining event of contemporary Congolese constitutional law: it was contested precisely because its practical effect was to permit an additional presidential candidacy, and the resulting litigation shaped the Constitutional Court's early jurisprudence.