BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) 鈥� Denis Sassou N鈥橤uesso was sworn in Thursday to a new five-year term as the president in a ceremony in a packed stadium.
The inauguration took place in Kint茅l茅, a town north of the capital city of Brazzaville.
Sassou N鈥橤uesso was reelected in March with 94.8% of the vote, extending his 42-year rule over the oil-rich Central African country. He ran against six relatively unknown candidates.
In his inaugural speech, he said he would not “betray the people who mobilized to honor him and reaffirm their support.鈥�
The Central African country is with a sky-high debt-to-GDP ratio – which measures a country’s debt compared to its economic output – according to the World Bank, and climbing youth unemployment.
Sassou N鈥橤uesso is the third-longest ruling African leader, after 鈥檚 Paul Biya and 鈥檚 Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. A 2015 referendum removed presidential age limits and term limits, allowing Sassou N鈥橤uesso to remain eligible for office.
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