'Emperor' Sassou seeks to extend long rule in Congo Republic

FILE PHOTO: Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his wife Antoinette arrive to attend a visit and a dinner at the Orsay Museum on the eve of the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, in Paris, France, November 10, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) - Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso looks set to prolong his decades-long rule in an election on Sunday in which he has pledged to revive the flagging economy.

Sassou, a 77-year old former paratrooper, rose to power in the oil-producing country on the western coast of central Africa in a military coup in 1979. He lost Congo's first multi-party elections in 1992 but regained power in 1997 after a civil war and has now ruled for a combined total of almost 37 years.