Central African Republic's President Clinches Third Presidential Term
The decisive win marks a dramatic increase from Touadera's previous electoral performance—he secured just 53.16% during his 2020 reelection bid's opening round. His initial ascent to power came in 2016.
A controversial 2023 constitutional overhaul paved the way for Touadera's extended grip on power by abolishing presidential term caps and extending each term to seven years from the previous limit.
The 68-year-old leader, a former mathematics academic, built his campaign around territorial security achievements. He attributed military successes—including rebel territory recapture and recent peace agreement negotiations—to strategic partnerships with Russian security forces reorganized from the Wagner Group structure, alongside Rwandan military support. These alliances have substantially expanded Moscow's footprint in the resource-abundant nation, granting Russian access to critical minerals including gold, diamonds, lithium, and uranium deposits.
International monitoring teams—including delegations from the African Union and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)—characterized election day proceedings as predominantly peaceful, though instability persisted across certain eastern territories.
The election faced a major legitimacy challenge when the primary opposition alliance, the Republican Bloc for the Defense of the Constitution (BRDC), rejected participation entirely, denouncing the electoral process as fundamentally compromised.
Opposition figures who did compete—notably Anicet-Georges Dologuele, a former prime minister and opposition leader, and ex-premier Henri-Marie Dondra—leveled accusations against government officials for imposing campaign constraints, including prohibitions on regional travel.
The Constitutional Court faces a Jan. 20 deadline to either certify the provisional outcome or resolve any formal disputes. While opposition factions have alleged electoral fraud, no significant post-voting violence has emerged thus far. Touadera's victory consolidates his authority in one of the globe's most economically disadvantaged nations while amplifying anxieties about eroding democratic norms and external powers' growing sway during a tenuous peace.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
