[ad_1]
The President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera won a second term, according to the provisional results announced by the electoral commission.
Touadera was re-elected in the first round of the presidential poll on December 27 with 53.9% of the vote, the National Electoral Authority announced on Monday.
In second place, Anicet-Georges Dologuele with 21.1% of the vote, and Martin Ziguele in third with 7.4%.
The vote and its aftermath were marked by violence and the formation of a rebel coalition amid calls from the opposition to delay the poll.
International observers noted that voting in the capital went well, but violence prevented many people from voting in other parts of the country, despite the presence of peacekeepers and reinforcements sent. by Russia and Rwanda after a pre-election attack.
The results must now be officially validated by the Constitutional Court, which will receive the appeals.
The announcement of the provisional results comes as gun violence escalates outside the capital, including an attack by rebels on Saturday against Touadera’s second home in Damara, a town more than 75 km away (47 miles) from Bangui.
The attack was repelled by the Central African Armed Forces with the support of Russian, Rwandan and Congolese soldiers who came to the Central African Republic as part of military cooperation with the nation.
Touadera blamed former President François Bozize for the deadly electoral turmoil.
“At the head of this association of criminals is former President François Bozize supported by his political allies”, he declared.
“The attacks were aimed at overthrowing the institutions of the Republic and putting an end to the democratic process and finally establishing a first transition.”
Abacar Sabone, who heads military operations for the rebel coalition known as the PCC, said the attack was a warning to the government that it is capable of attacking Bangui if Touadera does not open consultation and dialogue. with the coalition.
Sabone declared that if Touadera “insists on favoring the path of war, we will put ourselves on all our fronts and concentrate our forces on Bangui to free it from power to set up a transitional regime managed by a neutral personality so that a sovereign national conference to be organized ”.
After the results were announced, Sabone said: “There is no difference between clinging to power like Touadera does and taking power by arms.”
The rebel coalition took control of another front in Bangassou, 750 km (300 miles) from Bangui, forcing civilians to flee to neighboring Congo.
“The civilian population fled the hostilities, many drowned in the river,” said Pierrette Benguere, the prefect of Mbomou.
The United Nations mission in the Central African Republic, known as MINUSCA, has spoken out against the attacks.
Mankeur Ndiaye, the head of the mission, said “there is no doubt that these attacks are taking place against a background of electoral disruption – before, during and after the polls”.
On Monday, the attorney general of the Bangui Court of Appeal said he opened a judicial inquiry into Bozize, who said he was working with the rebel coalition.
The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly interfaith and inter-community fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in Bozize after long claiming marginalization.
Resistance to the Seleka regime ultimately led to Muslims being targeted en masse, with some beaten to death, mosques destroyed and tens of thousands expelled from the capital in 2014.
Despite a 2019 peace deal between the government and 14 rebel groups, intermittent violence and human rights violations continued.
The most recent insecurity began after the Constitutional Court rejected Bozize’s candidacy on the grounds that he did not meet the “good character” requirement.
Bozize, who seized power in a coup in 2003 and ruled until 2013, faces an international arrest warrant for “crimes against humanity and incitement to genocide.”
He also risks UN sanctions for his alleged role in supporting the anti-balaka group that resisted the Seleka in 2013.
[ad_2]
Source link
