Touadera Secures Victory in Presidential Election
Touadera’s win grants him a third mandate, made possible after 2023 constitutional changes scrapped the two-term limit and extended presidential tenure from five to seven years.
Provisional figures released January 5 showed Touadera with 76.15% of ballots cast. His closest rival, former Prime Minister Anicet-Georges Dologuele, trailed with 14.66%. Six opposition contenders participated in the vote, which coincided with legislative, regional, and municipal elections.
On Monday, the Constitutional Council dismissed Dologuele’s petition to annul the results, citing procedural violations. The court said the filings lacked mandatory supporting documents.
“Candidate Faustin Archange Touadera, having obtained 1,005,451 votes, representing an absolute majority of valid votes cast in the first round… with a percentage of 77.90%, is proclaimed elected president of the Central African Republic,” the council declared.
Dologuele had earlier alleged “a methodical attempt to manipulate” the outcome, a claim the government rejected.
Former Prime Minister Henri-Marie Dondra, who won 2.97% of the vote, told media he accepted the result, saying he refrained from appealing “to preserve peace and avoid reigniting tensions.”
Touadera, 68, has led the nation since 2016. A mathematician by training and former university rector, he previously served as prime minister. His administration has prioritized security in the conflict-torn former French colony, relying on Russian military support and a UN peacekeeping mission. The country has endured civil war since 2013, with armed groups battling for control of territory.
Following the provisional announcement, Touadera posted on X, thanking supporters for their “trust” and vowing to “continue the changes already begun and build a stronger, sovereign nation.”
“The years ahead mark a new era: innovation, economic independence, and opportunity,” he wrote.
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