Political situation in Central Africa

UN promotes “historic” election in CAR – first since 1988

The incumbent president of the Central African Republic (CAR) has declared himself the winner of the country’s parliamentary elections, which the UN describes in a report as historic.

It is the first time ever that CAR has held joint local and national elections and over 99 percent of polling stations were able to remain open as planned, according to the report.

Local elections have not been held in the country since 1988, but were promised after a 2019 peace agreement with regional rebel groups. About 2.5 million people voted in the election, which was described as mostly peaceful.

The election is seen as a major success for the impoverished country. The last election was held in 2020, when armed groups were reported to have blocked polling stations, writes Reuters.
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Russian favorite secures power in CAR for the third time

Incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared victory after last week's elections in the Central African Republic (CAR), reports Reuters. He will thus be re-elected for a third term.

Touadéra is close to Russia and the Kremlin has been given access to large natural resources such as gold and diamonds under his rule in exchange for protection from the Russian Wagner Group.

The largest opposition group boycotted the election after accusations of unfair political conditions, writes Africanews. However, there have been no extensive reports of fraud from the international election observers who were present.

According to Reuters, Touadéra likely won the election due to his relatively good control over the country's state institutions and his large financial assets. The BBC adds that his ability to create security in the country likely contributed.