!!!Republic of the Congo: Government
||Country name|''conventional long form'': Republic of the Congo \\ ''conventional short form'': Congo (Brazzaville) \\ ''local long form'': Republique du Congo \\ ''local short form'': Congo \\ ''former'': French Congo, Middle Congo, People's Republic of the Congo, Congo/Brazzaville \\ ''etymology'': named for the Congo River, which makes up much of the country's eastern border; the river name derives from Kongo, a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo, meaning "hunters" \\ 
||Government type|presidential republic
||Capital|Brazzaville[{GoogleMap location='Brazzaville' zoom='6'}] \\ ''geographic coordinates'': 4 15 S, 15 17 E \\ ''time difference'': UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) \\ 
||Administrative divisions|12 departments (departments, singular - department); Bouenza, Brazzaville, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pointe-Noire, Pool, Sangha
||Independence|15 August 1960 (from France)
||National holiday|Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
||Constitution|previous 1992; latest approved by referendum 20 January 2002; amended 2015; note - the constitutional referendum approved in October 2015 changed the head of government from the president to the prime minister, eliminated the presidential age maximum, reduced the presidential term from 7 to 5 years and limited total presidential terms to 3 (2017)
||Legal system|mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law
||International law organization participation|has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
||Citizenship|''citizenship by birth'': no \\ ''citizenship by descent only'': at least one parent must be a citizen of the Republic of the Congo \\ ''dual citizenship recognized'': no \\ ''residency requirement for naturalization'': 10 years \\ 
||Suffrage|18 years of age; universal
||Executive branch|''chief of state'': President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (since 25 October 1997) \\ ''head of government'': Prime Minister Clement MOUAMBA (since 23 April 2016); note - a constitutional referendum held in 2015 approved the change of the head of government from the president to the prime minister \\ ''cabinet'': Council of Ministers appointed by the president \\ ''elections/appointments'': president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 additional terms); election last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021) \\ ''election results'': Denis SASSOU-Nguesso reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (PCT) 60.4%, Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS (MCDDI) 15.1%, Jean-Marie MOKOKO (independent) 13.9%, Pascal Tsaty MABIALA (UPADS) 4.4%, other 6.2% \\ 
||Legislative branch|''description'': bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate (72 seats; members indirectly elected by regional councils by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms with one-half of membership renewed every three years) and the National Assembly (139 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms) \\ ''elections'': Senate - last held on 12 October 2014 for 36 of the expiry seats (next to be held in 2020); National Assembly - last held on 15 July and 5 August 2012 (next to be held in July 2017) \\ ''election results'': Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RMP 33, FDU 23, UPADS 2, other 7, independent 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT 89, MCDDI 7, UPADS 7, RDPS 5, MAR 4, RC 3, MUST 2, UPDP 2, CPR 1, PRL 1, PUR 1, UFD 1, UR 1, independent 12, vacant 3 \\ 
||Judicial branch|''highest court(s)'': Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); note - a High Court of Justice, outside the judicial authority, tries cases involving treason by the president of the republic \\ ''judge selection and term of office'': Supreme Court judges elected by Parliament and serve until age 65; Constitutional Court members appointed by the president of the republic - 3 directly by the president and 6 nominated by Parliament; members appointed for renewable 9-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years \\ ''subordinate courts'': Court of Audit and Budgetary Discipline; courts of appeal; regional and district courts; employment tribunals; juvenile courts; \\ 
||Political parties and leaders|Action Movement for Renewal or MAR (Roland BOUITI-VIAUDO) \\ Citizen's Rally or RC \\ Congolese Labour Party or PCT (Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO) \\ Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI (Guy Price Parfait KOLELAS) \\ Movement for Unity, Solidarity, and Work or MUST (Claudine MUNARI) \\ Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS (Pascal Tsaty MABIALA) \\ Party for the Unity of the Republic or PUR \\ Patriotic Union for Democracy and Progress or UPDP (Auguste-Celestin GONGARD NKOUA \\ Prospects and Realities Club or CPR \\ Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS (Bernard BATCHI) \\ Rally of the Presidential Majority or RMP \\ Republican and Liberal Party or PRL \\ Union for the Republic or UR \\ Union of Democratic Forces \\ Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR \\ United Democratic Forces or FDU (Sebastian EBAO); many smaller parties
||Political pressure groups and leaders|Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC \\ General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC \\ Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC \\ Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC
||International organization participation|ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
||Diplomatic representation in the US|''chief of mission'': Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI (since 31 July 2001) \\ ''chancery'': 1720 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 \\ ''telephone'': (1) (202) 726-5500 \\ ''FAX'': (1) (202) 726-1860 \\ 
||Diplomatic representation from the US|''chief of mission'': Ambassador Stephanie S. SULLIVAN (since 12 August 2013) \\ ''embassy'': 70-83 Section D, Maya-Maya Boulevard, Brazzaville \\ ''mailing address'': B.P. 1015, Brazzaville \\ ''telephone'': (242) 06 612-2000 \\ 
||Flag description|divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; green symbolizes agriculture and forests, yellow the friendship and nobility of the people, red is unexplained but has been associated with the struggle for independence \\ ''__note__'': uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia \\ 
||National symbol(s)|lion, elephant; national colors: green, yellow, red
||National anthem|''name'': "La Congolaise" (The Congolese) \\ ''lyrics/music'': Jacques TONDRA and Georges KIBANGHI/Jean ROYER and Joseph SPADILIERE \\  \\ ''__note__'': originally adopted 1959, restored 1991 \\