Citizens of the Republic of Congo have expressed
disappointment after President Denis Sassou-Nguesso named his new government
following his re-election.
The president abolished the prime minister's
position and named 10 new ministers to join his government.
But the concerned
citizens accused President Sassou-Nguesso
of reneging on his campaign promises by naming what they called former underperforming
ministers into the new government.
Leon Mukuri, a Congo-based journalist said that Congolese are expressing frustration over the newly
named government.
"The
Congolese people think that the cabinet is not a good cabinet because in this
cabinet many members (are) old members," Mukuri said.
He
said Congolese expected a new set of ministers in the new government.
"They
were thinking that the president will have in his cabinet new members… they
also think that this is not a cabinet they were expecting," he said.
Mukuri
said the concerned citizens are not reposing confidence in the government.
"They
are not content that this new government will be a good government," Mukuri
said.
President Sassou-Nguesso has
been one of the longest serving African heads of state after he came to power
through a coup d'état in 1979.
He recently won the July 12
presidential election with over 78 percent of the votes enabling him to serve
seven more years as Congo's leader.
Mukuri said there is very
little difference between President Nguesso's newly named government and the
previous administration.
"No difference because many
members of this new government (were) in the last government… 32 members of the
new members were in the last government," Mukuri said.
Meanwhile the opposition has
dismissed the new government as incapable of solving the challenges facing the
suffering masses.
Political analysts say
President Sassou-Nguesso abolished the controversial prime minister's position
after coming under intense criticism from the opposition.
The opposition contends that
the prime minister's position is alien to the constitution.