Touadera secures third term as Central African Republic president
Touadera, first elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020 with 53.16% of the vote in the first round, was able to run again following a 2023 constitutional referendum that removed presidential term limits and extended the term of office to seven years.
The 68-year-old former mathematics professor campaigned on security achievements, crediting partnerships with Russian security contractors—restructured from the Wagner Group—and Rwandan troops for reclaiming territory from rebel forces and securing recent peace agreements.
These alliances have also expanded Moscow’s influence in the mineral-rich country, granting Russia access to resources such as gold, diamonds, lithium, and uranium.
International observers, including the African Union and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), described voting day as largely peaceful, despite ongoing insecurity in parts of the eastern regions.
However, the main opposition coalition, the Republican Bloc for the Defense of the Constitution (BRDC), boycotted the election, citing unfair conditions. Other challengers, including former prime ministers Anicet-Georges Dologuele and Henri-Marie Dondra, claimed authorities imposed campaign restrictions, such as blocking provincial travel.
The Constitutional Court has until January 20 to validate the results or rule on any challenges.
While opposition figures have raised fraud allegations, no widespread post-election unrest has been reported.
Touadera’s third-term victory consolidates his control in one of the world’s poorest nations but also raises concerns about democratic backsliding and increasing foreign influence amid a fragile peace.
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