Central African Republic election: Who’s running and what’s at stake?

Citizens of the Central African Republic (CAR) volition ballot connected Sunday successful highly arguable statesmanlike and legislative elections expected to widen President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s tenure beyond 2 presumption for the archetypal clip successful the country’s history.

Touadera, who helped enactment his state connected the representation erstwhile helium adopted Bitcoin arsenic 1 of its ineligible tenders successful 2022, had earlier pushed done a referendum abolishing statesmanlike word limits. That, arsenic good arsenic important delays that astir upturned the confirmation of 2 large challengers, has led immoderate absorption groups to boycott the vote, calling it a “sham”.

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CAR volition besides clasp section elections for the archetypal clip successful 40 years, aft a agelong play of destabilising governmental conflict, including an ongoing civilian warfare betwixt the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebel question and the mostly Christian Anti-balaka equipped groups, which has led to the displacement of 1 cardinal people. There are fears that the country’s electoral assemblage is not equipped to grip an predetermination connected this scale.

The landlocked federation is sandwiched betwixt respective larger neighbours, including Chad to the northbound and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the south. It has an ethnically and religiously divers colonisation of astir 5.5 million, with French and Sango being the nationalist languages.

Although affluent successful resources similar crude oil, golden and uranium, persistent governmental instability since independency from France successful 1960, and the ongoing civilian warfare (2013-present) person kept CAR 1 of Africa’s poorest nations. For security, CAR is progressively reliant connected Russian assistance to defender large cities against rebels.

Citizens of CAR are referred to arsenic Central Africans. The country’s largest metropolis and superior is Bangui, named aft the Ubangi River, which forms a earthy borderline betwixt CAR and the DRC. The state exports chiefly diamonds, timber and gold, but overmuch of the colonisation depends connected subsistence agriculture, and economical enactment is limited.

Supporters of statesmanlike campaigner Faustin-Archange Touadera respond during a run earlier Sunday’s 2nd circular predetermination against longtime absorption campaigner Anicet-Georges Dologuele, successful Bangui, Central African Republic, February 12, 2016 [File: Siegfried Modola/Reuters]

Here’s what we cognize astir Sunday’s election:

Who tin ballot and however does it work?

About 2.3 cardinal Central Africans implicit the property of 18 are registered to ballot for the country’s adjacent president. Of these, 749,000 registrations are caller since the erstwhile predetermination successful 2020.

They’ll besides beryllium voting for nationalist lawmakers, determination and, for the archetypal clip successful astir 40 years, municipal administrators. Average turnout successful past years has been astir 62 percent, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). There are astir 6,700 polling units crossed the country.

The National Elections Authority initially planned to clasp the municipal authorities elections astatine the extremity of August, but moved the polls to December astatine the past minute, blaming insufficient funds arsenic good arsenic method and organisational challenges. The determination has added to concerns among predetermination observers and absorption politicians astir however prepared the electoral assemblage is.

Campaigning began connected December 13, but absorption groups assertion that delays successful including Touadera’s biggest challengers successful the process person favoured the president’s rallies.

The statesmanlike campaigner with an implicit bulk is declared the winner, but if determination is nary outright victor successful the archetypal round, a 2nd run-off ballot volition find the victor.

Although presidents were antecedently constricted to two, five-year terms, a arguable 2023 referendum introduced a caller constitution which removed word limits and accrued each word to 7 years.

Who is moving for president?

The country’s law tribunal approved Touadera’s candidacy alongside salient absorption person Anicet-Georges Dologuele, ex-Prime Minister Henri-Marie Dondra, and 5 others.

However, delays successful approving the 2 large opponents and concerns astir the readiness of the electoral assemblage person led an absorption coalition, the Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution (BRDC), to boycott the election. The radical has, therefore, not presented a candidate.

Here is what we cognize astir the candidates who are standing:

Faustin-Archange Touadera

Touadera, 68, is simply a mathematician and erstwhile vice chancellor of the University of Bangui. He is moving nether the ruling United Hearts Movement (MCU).

He served arsenic the country’s premier curate from 2013 to 2015 nether President Francois Bozize. He was elected arsenic president successful 2016 and again successful 2020, though absorption groups contested the vote.

Touadera, who is the favourite to triumph successful these polls, has campaigned connected promises of peace, information and caller infrastructural improvement successful the country.

After 10 years successful office, the president’s bequest is mixed. His medication has been dogged by accusations of suppressing the absorption and rigging elections.

Indeed, Touadera would not beryllium eligible to tally had helium not forced the 2023 referendum through. He sacked a main justice of the law tribunal successful October 2022, aft she ruled that his referendum task was illegal.

Opposition members boycotted the referendum, but that lone gave the Touadera campy much “yes” votes. Although a civilian nine radical launched a ineligible situation against his candidacy earlier the polls, the law tribunal threw retired the suit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Central African Republic’s President Faustin-Archange Touadera shingle hands arsenic they conscionable successful Moscow, Russia, January 16, 2025 [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

Touadera is credited with spearheading immoderate economical development, compared with his predecessors. New roads and highways person been built wherever determination were antecedently none, but the World Bank inactive ranks CAR’s system arsenic “stagnant”.

Touadera has besides been praised for achieving comparative stableness successful the conflict-affected state wherever equipped groups clasp swaths of territory, particularly successful the areas bordering Sudan.

Support from a United Nations peacekeeping force, Rwandan troops and Russian Wagner mercenaries has helped to trim unit successful caller years.

CAR was the archetypal state to invitation the Russian mercenary radical to the continent successful 2018 successful a security-for-minerals deal, earlier different countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, besides secured information contracts.

CAR was historically person to erstwhile assemblage powerfulness France, but Paris suspended its subject alliances and reduced assistance budgets to the state successful 2021 pursuing the Russia cooperation.

At a gathering with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful 2023, Touadera praised Russia for redeeming CAR’s democracy. The 2 met again successful January 2025.

In beforehand of the elections, Touadera has besides signed a bid of bid accords with immoderate equipped groups progressive successful the country, though determination are fears that the agreements volition lone clasp until aft the polls.

The president launched Bitcoin arsenic a ineligible tender successful 2022, making CAR the 2nd state to bash truthful aft El Salvador. The thought drew scepticism, arsenic little than 10 percent of Central Africans tin entree the internet, and was yet abandoned aft a year.

In February 2025, CAR launched the $CAR meme coin, which the authorities said is an experiment.

This week, Touadera’s authorities signed a caller declaration with Elon Musk’s Starlink to grow net services to agrarian and distant regions.

Henri-Marie Dondra

The 59-year-old is simply a vocation banker and erstwhile concern minister. He is moving nether his Republican Unity enactment (UNIR), which has positioned itself arsenic a reformist enactment and is not portion of the absorption coalition. He served arsenic premier minister nether Touadera betwixt 2021 and 2022 but was fired, apt due to the fact that of his beardown pro-France tendencies astatine a clip erstwhile the medication was turning towards Russia, according to reporting by French radio, RFI.

Dondra’s candidacy was not approved until November 14, aft Touadera accused him of holding Congolese citizenship, which helium denied. The accusations raised fears that helium would beryllium barred from the vote. Two of his brothers were reportedly arrested and detained without complaint earlier the vote, Dondra told Human Rights Watch successful precocious November.

A run billboard of statesmanlike campaigner Anicet-Georges Dologuele, of the Union for Central African Renewal (URCA), stands earlier the statesmanlike predetermination scheduled for December 28, successful Bangui, Central African Republic, December 24, 2025 [Leger Serge Kokpakpa/Reuters]

Anicet-Georges Dologuele

The main absorption person of the Union for Central African Renewal (URCA) enactment broke from the boycotting absorption conjugation successful bid to tally successful these elections. Dologuele’s candidacy has prompted what immoderate analysts accidental are xenophobic statements from Touadera’s supporters.

The 68-year-old dual national French-CAR person archetypal ran for the apical occupation backmost successful 2015 and was the runner-up successful the 2020 statesmanlike race. His 3rd bid has faced challenges implicit his citizenship status. The 2023 referendum constricted candidates to CAR citizenship only, and derisive comments from immoderate successful the governing campy person suggested immoderate absorption candidates are not “real Central Africans”.

In September, Dologuele said helium had fixed up his French citizenship; however, successful October, a Central African tribunal stripped him of his CAR citizenship, citing a clause successful the aged constitution disallowing dual citizenship. Dologuele reported the contented arsenic a usurpation of his quality rights to the UN quality rights agency. It’s unclear what, if any, enactment the bureau took, but Dologuele’s sanction connected the last candidates database suggests his citizenship was reinstated.

Dologuele served arsenic premier curate successful the 1990s, nether President Ange-Felix Patasse, earlier joining the Bank of Central African States and aboriginal heading the Development Bank of Central African States.

Although helium is seen by immoderate arsenic an experienced hand, others subordinate him with past authorities failures. Dologuele is promising stronger antiauthoritarian institutions and amended planetary alliances.

Other notable candidates

• Aristide Briand Reboas – person of the Christian Democratic Party, the 46-year-old was a erstwhile quality authoritative and the sports curate until 2024. He is moving connected promises of amended amenities, including energy and water. He antecedently ran successful 2020.
• Serge Djorie – a erstwhile authorities spokesperson until 2024, the 49-year-old is moving nether his Collective for Political Change for the caller Central African Republic party. The aesculapian doc and published researcher has campaigned connected nationalist wellness reforms, poorness simplification and much pan-Africanism. Djorie ran successful the 2020 elections.
• Eddy Symphorien Kparekouti – The civilian technologist helped draught the caller constitution that was controversially adopted successful 2023. In his campaigns, the autarkic campaigner has emphasised poorness simplification successful bid to lick governmental insecurity and different developmental challenges.

What are the cardinal issues for this election?

Armed groups

Protracted governmental struggle successful CAR has continued for much than a decade, with galore Central Africans saying they privation a enactment that tin bring peace.

Trouble began pursuing a coup successful March 2013 by the chiefly Muslim Seleka rebel confederation that overthrew President Francois Bozize. In retaliation, Bozize assembled Christian and animist rebel equipped groups, known arsenic the Anti-balaka. Both sides attacked civilians and person been accused of warfare crimes by rights groups. Bozize, who continues to pb a rebel coalition, is present successful exile successful Guinea-Bissau. His attempted attacks successful 2020 were fended disconnected by Touadera’s Russian mercenaries.

However, killings, kidnappings and displacement proceed successful galore agrarian communities successful the country’s northwest, northeast and southeast regions, contempt caller bid deals signed with immoderate groups. Russian mercenaries person proven pivotal successful securing large areas, but are besides accused of quality rights violations, specified arsenic wide killings, portion absorption politicians person criticised the reliance connected overseas fighters.

A 17,000-strong UN peacekeeping force, MINUSCA, has been extended until November 2026, though the determination faced absorption from the US, which wants CAR to grip its ain information going forward. The unit has suffered astatine slightest 3 deaths successful deadly attacks this twelvemonth alone. There are besides fears astir the information of voters successful agrarian areas; astir 800 voting units were forced to adjacent in the past elections owed to rebel violence.

Poverty

CAR remains 1 of the poorest nations successful the world, with much than 60 percent of the colonisation surviving successful poverty, according to the World Bank.

Most radical unrecorded successful agrarian areas and past connected subsistence farming successful the lack of immoderate state-propelled industry.

Economic maturation complaint is slow, averaging 1.5 percent yearly. Only 16 percent of citizens person entree to electricity, and lone 7.5 percent person entree to the internet.

Persistent substance shortages marque economical enactment much difficult.

The state ranked 191st of 193 countries successful the 2022 Human Development Index.

Divisive politics

The country’s turbulent governmental past and the contiguous scenery of profoundly divided governmental groups person failed to present a unified absorption conjugation that tin situation Touadera and enshrine a functioning democracy.

Fears astir whether Touadera intends to tally for beingness pursuing the 2023 referendum are high, with absorption and rights groups already calling for reforms to the caller constitution. There are besides fears astir ballot rigging successful the elections successful favour of Touadera’s governing party.