From: barnhart@netcom.com (Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:CONGO: ALLIANCE TOUTED WITH RULING
Date: 15 Aug 92 15:18:17 GMT
Reply-To: barnhart@netcom.com
Organization: Netcom

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: CONGO: ALLIANCE TOUTED WITH RULING PARTY AFTER ELECTION DEFEAT


brazzaville, aug 11 (ips) -- a potential left-wing alliance
appears to be on the cards in the second round of presidential
elections here if the former ruling congolese labour party (pct)
and the pan-african union for social democracy (updas) manage to
sort out their differences.

a realignment of political forces is under way in this
former french colony as a result of the first multi-party
presidential elections held aug. 9, in which president denis
sassou-nguesso was resoundingly defeated, but none of the 16
contenders won an absolute majority.

the second round will take place this coming sunday.

updas leader, pascal lissouba, emerged as the main
candidate for the job, with 36 per cent of the vote, against 20
percent of his closest rival, bernard kolela, of the congolese
movement for democracy and integral development (mccdi).

gen. sassou-nguesso, who has ruled this central african
country for 12-years finished third, with 17 per cent of the
vote.

he officially bowed out of the race tuesday following the
results of the election on a turn-out of 60 per cent.

while kolela has been assured the support of several minor
organizations, it reamins unclear whether he will be backed by
the fourth contender in the first round, current prime minister
andre milongo, a former world bank official.

local analysts point out the open hostility of updas members
towards the former marxist-leninist ruling party as the main
obstacle for the establishment of a formal left-wing alliance.

jacques bombete, a pct deputy, found it ''regretable'' that
some updas officials do not consider the frictions ''out of
place in this phase of true alliances.''

''the important thing now is to allow professor pascal
lissouba to rise to the presidency on behalf of the leftist
forces'' of congo, bombete added.

lissouba has close connections to sassou-nguesso, who freed
him from prison in the 70's.

marcel maoussavou, an updas official, told the press that a
formal alliance with the ruling party could be damaging to
lissouba in facing the better-organized supporters of kolela.

political observers believe that, even without a formal
political agreement between the two parties, pct voters --
mainly from the four northern regions of the country -- will
vote ''automatically'' for lissouba in the second round.
(more/ips)


congo: alliance (2)

sassou-nguesso is the third african leader to be ousted
by popular vote since 1989, when multi-partyism began to
gather pace on the continent. the other two were mathieu
kerekou of benin and kenneth kaunda of zambia.

since march this year, the 1.2 million congolese voters have
gone to the polls five times to vote for a constitutional
referendum, for the local and municipal elections, for the two
rounds of parliamentary elections and for the first round of
presidential polls.

for 27 years, this oil-producing country has been ruled by
the pct in a single-party state system. a self-proclaimed
marxist-leninist organization, the pct renounced its ideological
principles in 1990, approaching western donors for economic
assistance. (end/ips/lo/ak/oa/92)


-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@netcom.com) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois