Republic of Congo
A republic, according to the Webster's dictionary, is a government in which the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives elected by them. However, a government's claims to be a republic does not necessarily make it a republic. The Republic of Congo, a small country in south-western Africa, has democratic and republic aspects in its parliamentary system. The government of the Republic of Congo has a tendency to change seemingly rapidly when compared to that of a more stable system of government, such as that of Britain. The Republic of Congo is a relatively small country with a land area of only one hundred and thirty-two thousand square miles.1 One can get a better idea of the size of the Republic of Congo's size by comparing it with that of Britain, which is ninety-four thousand two hundred and forty-nine square miles.2 Even though Congo has more land area than Britain, Britain has a much greater population of 58.26 million whereas Congo has a population of 2.5 million.3 Seventy percent of the people of the Republic of Congo live in or around the capitol city of Brazzaville.4 With this much of the population in or around the biggest city in the cou
The election system in the Republic of Congo has encouraged a multiparty system. In fact, there are numerous parties who are often in Parliament. The most important party is the extreme left Congolese Labor Party, led by Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Then follows the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy which is a social-democratic party led by Pascal Lissouba. The conservative Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development Party is led by Bernard Kolelas. There is a social-democratic Congolese Party of Renewal. There is a centrist party known as the Rally for Democracy and Development, which is led by Yhombi Oyango. The socialist Rally for Democracy and Social Progress is led by Thystere Tchicaya. The centrist Union of Democratic Forces is led by David Charles Ganao. The social-democratic Union for Development and Social Progress is led by Jean-Michael Bohamba-Yangouma. There is also the social-democratic National Union for Democracy and Progress, the centrist Patriotic Union for National Reconstruction, the centrist Union for Congolese Democracy, and the centrist Union for Democracy and Republic.30 These parties are relatively new and not much is known about them. 35. National Constitution of the Republic of Congo. Sassou-Nguesso was the ruler of Congo for more than a decade until he was forced to enact political reforms in 1991. Also, in 1991, Congo returned its name to the Republic of Congo and began to move toward multiparty democracy as opposition parties became legal. In the election of 1992, Lissouba was elected president. Sassou-Nguesso claimed vote fraud in the election.11 36. United States. Energy Information Administration. Congo. March 1996. 33. "Republic of the Congo." CIA Factbook. Internet. Available http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/cf.html 7. United States. Consulate to the Republic of Congo. Congo-Consular Information Sheet. June 24, 1996. Available http://travel.state.gov/congo.html Information about public issues is not always readily available in Congo. There are five radio stations and, as of 1987, four televisions stations in the entire country. Most of these are government owned and operated. There are very few telephones. Approximately one in every one hundred and fifty Congolese have a telephone. There are less than half that many televisions.34 34. "Republic of the Congo." CIA Factbook. Internet. Available http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/cf.html The history of the Republic of Congo clearly shows that Congo is subject to strong opinions and rapid changes. This is very different from the British, who value bargaining, compromising, and incremental change. The Republic of Congo has, in it's Constitution, republic aspects, but military takeovers and rapid changes do not always allow it to be a republic in practice. Therefore, one can see that just because a country claims to be a republic, it is not necessarily a republic.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Republic Congo, Prime Minister, National Assembly, British Constitution, Pupils Students, College Publication, Congo Britain, Pascal Lissouba, Constitution Article, Congo Congo, republic congo, prime minister, john comparative politics, politics transition york, college publication, brace college, york harcourt, harcourt brace, transition york harcourt, transition york, harcourt brace college, publication 1990, york harcourt brace, mccormick john, politics transition,
Approximate Word count = 3820
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
