[The Conversation Africa] Congolese will go to the polls on 15 March 2026 to elect their president, with a fractured opposition unable to present a single candidate. The Congolese Labor Party (PCT), in power since the end of the 1997 civil war, along with its allies, exerts extensive control over the state apparatus and electoral bodies. Citizen participation, particularly among young people aspiring for change, remains crucial for the legitimacy of the vote.