RoC is the third largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, with 60% of its 6-million population under 25 nearly half of citizens living in poverty; the price of basics and pharmaceuticals keeps rising so people turn to cheaper unregulated options

Provisional results declared Sassou Nguesso re-elected to a fifth term with 95% of the vote, on a reported turnout of 85%; the figure was notably in contrast to eye witness observations of short queues at polling stations in the capital Brazzaville

During presidential election, civil organizations set up large-scale cultural carnival in Brazzaville to support the ecological vision and the values ​​of peace and sustainable development championed by candidate Denis Sassou Nguesso in power since 1997

Preparing for elections on 15 March, Congolese law enforcement will maintain a heightened presence, strict posture, blockades and road closures expecting significant public movement during voting hours; President Nguesso, 82, is seeking a 5th term

In Brazzaville, a new business is reshaping the local economy: parking lots on plots of land, cultivated or uncultivated; in underserved neighborhoods landowners transform their properties into paid parking spaces, charging affordable rates for drivers