The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Republic of the Congo

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This page contains a list of the greatest Congolese Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 13 of which were born in Republic of the Congo. This makes Republic of the Congo the birth place of the 133rd most number of Politicians behind Côte d'Ivoire, and Vanuatu.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Congolese Politicians of all time. This list of famous Congolese Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Congolese Politicians.

Photo of Denis Sassou Nguesso

1. Denis Sassou Nguesso (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 72.43, Denis Sassou Nguesso is the most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 71 different languages on wikipedia.

Denis Sassou Nguesso (born 23 November 1943) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who has served as president of the Republic of the Congo since 1997. He also previously served as president from 1979 to 1992. Sassou Nguesso headed the Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) for 12 years during his first period as president. His daughter Edith Lucie Bongo married Gabonese President Omar Bongo in 1989. He introduced multiparty politics in 1990, but was stripped of executive powers by the 1991 National Conference, remaining in office as a ceremonial head of state. He stood as a candidate in the 1992 presidential election but placed third. Sassou Nguesso was an opposition leader for five years before returning to power during the Second Republic of the Congo Civil War, in which his rebel forces ousted President Pascal Lissouba. Following a transitional period, he won the 2002 presidential election, which involved low opposition participation. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election. That same year his daughter and her husband Omar Bongo died. Sassou Nguesso passed a new constitution via referendum in 2015 amidst calls for boycott then a dismissal of results by opposition leaders. The new constitution enabled him to stand for another term. Sassou Nguesso was re-elected in the 2016 and 2021 presidential elections with a majority in the first round.

Photo of Joseph Kasa-Vubu

2. Joseph Kasa-Vubu (1910 - 1969)

With an HPI of 69.16, Joseph Kasa-Vubu is the 2nd most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Joseph Kasa-Vubu, alternatively Joseph Kasavubu, (c. 1915 – 24 March 1969) was a Congolese politician who served as the first President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the Republic of the Congo until 1964) from 1960 until 1965. A member of the Kongo ethnic group, Kasa-Vubu became the leader of the Bakongo Association (ABAKO) party in the 1950s and soon became a leading proponent of Congo's independence from Belgian colonial rule. He forged an unlikely coalition between his regionalist and conservative ABAKO party and Patrice Lumumba's left-wing nationalist Congolese National Movement (MNC) party, offering support in the government. In the agreement, he received support from the Lumumbists in the Senate and the National Assembly, and was elected president of the Republic in 1960 with Lumumba as prime minister. Shortly after the country's gaining of independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960, the country immediately faced a series of secessionist movements, leading to the establishment of the Katanga and South Kasai breakaway states and marking the beginning of the Congo Crisis. During this time, a deadlock emerged between Kasa-Vubu and Lumumba when Lumumba ordered assistance from the Soviet Union. Kasa-Vubu accused Lumumba of communist sympathies and ordered the dissolution of Lumumba's government. Lumumba attempted to join a rival government of his supporters known as the Free Republic of the Congo, but was captured and killed by Katangese separatist forces in January 1961. With UN support, Kasa-Vubu's government eventually suppressed the Katanga, South Kasai and Free Republic rebellions between 1962 and 1963. New pro-Lumumba rebellions also emerged in 1963 in the form of the Kwilu and Simba rebellions, which were both later defeated by 1965. Following a political stalemate, Kasa-Vubu was finally deposed by a coup d'état led by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu in November 1965. He died four years later.

Photo of Ali Bongo Ondimba

3. Ali Bongo Ondimba (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 67.33, Ali Bongo Ondimba is the 3rd most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 70 different languages.

Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain-Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959) also known as Ali Ben Bongo is a Gabonese former politician and dictator who was the third president of Gabon from 2009 until he was deposed in a coup in 2023. A member of the Gabonese Democratic Party, Bongo is the son of Omar Bongo, who was president from 1967 until his death in 2009. During his father's presidency, Bongo was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1991, represented Bongoville as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1991 to 1999, and was the Minister of National Defense from 1999 to 2009. After his father's death, Bongo was elected president in the 2009 presidential election, marking the first political dynasty in the country. He was reelected in 2016, with elections being marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations and post-election protests and violence. On 30 August 2023, following the results of the general election, the military, led by Bongo's cousin Brice Oligui Nguema, ousted him from the presidency in a coup d'état due to lack of transparency in the election process and established a junta called the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions. He was briefly detained, then released. This effectively made Bongo the first Gabonese president not to die in service and has put an end to the long 56-year rule of the Bongo dynasty.

Photo of Pascal Lissouba

4. Pascal Lissouba (1931 - 2020)

With an HPI of 64.48, Pascal Lissouba is the 4th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Pascal Lissouba (15 November 1931 – 24 August 2020) was a Congolese politician who was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo and served from 31 August 1992 until 25 October 1997. He was overthrown by his predecessor and current president Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war.

Photo of Marien Ngouabi

5. Marien Ngouabi (1938 - 1977)

With an HPI of 64.37, Marien Ngouabi is the 5th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Marien Ngouabi (December 31, 1938 – March 18, 1977) was a Congolese politician and military officer who served as the fourth President of the People's Republic of the Congo from 1969 until his assassination in 1977.

Photo of Fulbert Youlou

6. Fulbert Youlou (1917 - 1972)

With an HPI of 62.41, Fulbert Youlou is the 6th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Fulbert Youlou (19 July 1917 – 6 May 1972) was a Congolese nationalist leader and former Catholic priest who became the first President of the Republic of the Congo upon its independence in 1960. In August 1960, Youlou led his country into independence. In December 1960, he organised an intercontinental conference in Brazzaville, wherein he praised the advantages of economic liberalism and condemned communism. Youlou disappointed many when he imposed a single-party system and imprisoned union leaders in August 1963; this led to the revolution of the Trois Glorieuses (English: "Three Glorious Days"). Charles de Gaulle despised Youlou and France refused to assist him. Youlou resigned thereafter in the face of overwhelming opposition to his governance.

Photo of Alphonse Massamba-Débat

7. Alphonse Massamba-Débat (1921 - 1977)

With an HPI of 62.35, Alphonse Massamba-Débat is the 7th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Alphonse Massamba-Débat (February 11, 1921 – March 25, 1977) was a political figure of the Republic of the Congo who led the country from 1963 until 1968 in a one-party system.

Photo of Joachim Yhombi-Opango

8. Joachim Yhombi-Opango (1939 - 2020)

With an HPI of 61.40, Joachim Yhombi-Opango is the 8th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Jacques Joachim Yhombi-Opango (12 January 1939 – 30 March 2020) was a Congolese politician. He was an army officer who became Congo-Brazzaville's first general and served as Head of State of the People's Republic of the Congo from 1977 to 1979. He was the President of the Rally for Democracy and Development (RDD), a political party, and served as Prime Minister from 1993 to 1996. He was in exile from 1997 to 2007.

Photo of Clément Mouamba

9. Clément Mouamba (1943 - 2021)

With an HPI of 60.12, Clément Mouamba is the 9th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Clément Mouamba (13 November 1943 – 29 October 2021) was a Congolese politician who was Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo from 2016 until 2021. He previously served as Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1993.

Photo of Alfred Raoul

10. Alfred Raoul (1938 - 1999)

With an HPI of 53.61, Alfred Raoul is the 10th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Alfred Raoul (15 December 1938 – 16 July 1999) was President of the Republic of the Congo from 5 September 1968 to 1 January 1969, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo from August 1968 to December 1969. He was Vice President of the People's Republic of Congo from January 1970 to December 1971. He was married to Émilienne Raoul.

People

Pantheon has 13 people classified as Congolese politicians born between 1910 and 1959. Of these 13, 4 (30.77%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Congolese politicians include Denis Sassou Nguesso, Ali Bongo Ondimba, and Emmanuel Nadingar. The most famous deceased Congolese politicians include Joseph Kasa-Vubu, Pascal Lissouba, and Marien Ngouabi. As of April 2024, 13 new Congolese politicians have been added to Pantheon including Denis Sassou Nguesso, Joseph Kasa-Vubu, and Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Living Congolese Politicians

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Deceased Congolese Politicians

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Newly Added Congolese Politicians (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Politicians were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 9 most globally memorable Politicians since 1700.