Recently, following the approval of a new Constitution after a referendum in 2015, Congo became a semi-presidential republic after the creation of the post of prime minister who is responsible to the legislature, as well is the cabinet of the former.
A central, but not the only, component of democracy is free and fair elections, where the population can hold accountable those in power.
[3] In terms of civil, political, and human rights, another tenant of democracy, another non-governmental organization, BTI, reports that the rule of law “only exists on paper” in the country;[4] this follows suit from a report from Amnesty International, which documents how Alexandre Ibacka Dzabana and Ras le Bol, both human rights leaders in the country were arrested the day after they announced they would hold a press conference to denounce election irregularities that occurred.
The National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) elects its members to five-year terms in single-seat constituencies.
The members of the Senate (Sénat) are elected for a six-year term by district, local and regional councils.