POLITICIANS from Republic of the Congo

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.

1. Denis Sassou Nguesso (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 67.07, 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 became president of the Republic of the Congo in 1997. He served a previous term 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.

2. Joseph Kasa-Vubu (1910 - 1969)

With an HPI of 63.27, Joseph Kasa-Vubu is the 2nd most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 40 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 Alliance des Bakongo (ABAKO) party in the 1950s and soon became a leading proponent of Congo's independence from Belgian colonial rule. He then became the country's first president in a coalition with Patrice Lumumba as prime minister. Less than a week after the country's independence in 1960, their government was confronted by the Congo Crisis, a series of secession movements and rebellions. During this time, Kasa-Vubu, a centrist, clashed with the leftist Lumumba when the latter ordered assistance from the Soviet Union, leading to a political deadlock. Kasa-Vubu then dissolved Lumumba's government, accusing it of having communist sympathies. Following Lumumba's execution in 1961, Kasa-Vubu presided over a series of weak governments while confronting subsequent rebellions by Lumumba's supporters. In 1965, he was overthrown in another coup by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu and died four years later.

3. Ali Bongo Ondimba (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 62.94, Ali Bongo Ondimba is the 3rd most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 69 different languages.

Ali Bongo Ondimba (born Alain-Bernard Bongo; 9 February 1959), also known as Ali Bongo and Ali Ben Bongo, is a Gabonese former politician who was the third president of Gabon from 2009 to 2023. He is a member of the Gabonese Democratic Party. He is the son of Omar Bongo, who was president of Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009. During his father's presidency, he 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 Defense from 1999 to 2009. After his father's death, he won the 2009 Gabonese presidential election. He was reelected in 2016, in elections marred by numerous irregularities, arrests, human rights violations, and post-election protests and violence. On 30 August 2023, following the results of the Gabonese general election, the military 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. The coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema was part of the Bongo family.

4. Pascal Lissouba (1931 - 2020)

With an HPI of 57.63, Pascal Lissouba is the 4th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 34 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.

5. Marien Ngouabi (1938 - 1977)

With an HPI of 57.36, Marien Ngouabi is the 5th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Marien Ngouabi (or N'Gouabi) (December 31, 1938 – March 18, 1977) was the fourth President of the Republic of the Congo from 1969 until his assassination in 1977.

6. Fulbert Youlou (1917 - 1972)

With an HPI of 54.84, Fulbert Youlou is the 6th most famous Congolese Politician.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Abbé Fulbert Youlou (19 July 1917 – 6 May 1972) was a laicized Brazzaville-Congolese Roman Catholic priest, nationalist leader and politician, who became the first President of the Republic of the Congo on its independence. In August 1960, he led his country into independence. In December 1960 he organised an intercontinental conference in Brazzaville, in the course of which he praised the advantages of economic liberalism and condemned communism. Three years later, he left power. Youlou disappointed many from the North when he imposed a single party system and imprisoned union leaders in August 1963; this led to the revolution of the "Trois Glorieuses." Charles de Gaulle despised him and France refused to assist him. He resigned in the face of overwhelming opposition to his governance.

7. Joachim Yhombi-Opango (1939 - 2020)

With an HPI of 53.73, Joachim Yhombi-Opango is the 7th 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.

8. Alphonse Massamba-Débat (1921 - 1977)

With an HPI of 53.51, Alphonse Massamba-Débat is the 8th 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.

9. Alfred Raoul (1938 - 1999)

With an HPI of 50.90, Alfred Raoul is the 9th 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.

10. Clément Mouamba (1943 - 2021)

With an HPI of 49.04, Clément Mouamba is the 10th 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.