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Central African Republic
At stake: President, National Assembly
Background
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The former French colony—known as Ubangi-Shari—became independent in 1960. For 33 years, the country was a de-facto dictatorship, ruled in succession by three military commanders. First president David Dacko was overthrown by his cousin Jean-Bédel Bokassa in 1966.
Bokassa established a lavish regime, proclaiming himself as emperor in 1976. As human rights violations proliferated in the Central African Republic, a series of riots led to the death of many civilians. In 1979, the French government backed a coup to remove Bokassa and restore Dacko.
Dacko was overthrown again in 1981 by André Kolingba, who ruled uninterrupted until 1993, when Ange-Félix Patassé won the presidential election representing the Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple Centrafricain (MLPC—Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People). Patassé became the country's first civilian president, and won re-election in 1999, defeating Kolingba in a ballot decried by opposition parties as fraudulent.
On Mar. 15, 2003, army general François Bozizé led a coup d'etat to topple the government of Patassé while the president attended a conference in Niger. Bozizé—who had aided Patassé's government to deal with violent revolts and mutinies in 1996 and 1997—appointed Abel Goumba as vice-president and Célestin Gaoumbale as prime minister in December 2003. Bozizé vowed to oversee a "transitional period" that would eventually lead to presidential and legislative elections in 2005.
2005 Presidential, Parliamentary Elections
In October 2004, voters enlisted in the electoral rolls after the country's Independent Mixed Electoral Commission (CEMI) established more than 5,000 registration posts. CEMI's $10.8 million U.S. budget was partially funded by the European Union (EU). Citizens were registered after their age and identity were verified, and received a voter card immediately. Central African Republic nationals living in other African and European nations, as well as the minority Batwa, were able to sign up as well.
On Dec. 5, the country's voters participated in a referendum on whether to adopt a new constitution. The proposed body of law sought to restore civilian rule in the Central African Republic, reduce the powers of the president, and strengthen the influence of the prime minister and the National Assembly. Preliminary results were released on Dec. 6, suggesting close to 90 per cent of all voters supported the new constitution.
The end of the "transitional period" was to begin with the first round of presidential and National Assembly elections on Jan. 30, 2005. A second round was scheduled for Feb. 27.
Deposed former president Ange-Félix Patassé—currently exiled in Togo—was nominated once again by the Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple Centrafricain (MLPC—Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People). Patassé's return to the Central African Republic was uncertain, as he faces corruption and human rights abuses charges.
Former prime minister Jean Paul Ngoupandé of the Parti de l'Unité Nationale (PUN—National Unity Party), current parliamentarian Josué Binoua and former president André Kolingba—who administered the government from 1981 to 1993—also expressed interest in becoming presidential candidates. On Dec. 11, current president François Bozizé announced he would be contending as an independent.
On Dec. 31, the transitional Constitutional Court cleared five candidates to participate in the election, and banned 10 politicians, including Patassé, former prime ministers Martin Ziguele and Ngoupandé, and former defence minister Jean-Jacques Demafouth. Some prospective contenders were blocked for not providing the $10,000 U.S. deposit, not owning a house in their place of residence, or not tendering actual copies of their birth certificates. The list of candidates included Bozizé, former president Kolingba, current vice-president Abel Goumba, lawyer Henri Pouzere and former minister Auguste Boukanga.
On Jan. 5, 2005, Bozizé allowed three more candidates—Ngoupandé, Ziguele and Charles Massi of the Forum Démocratique pour la Modernité (FODEM—Democratic Forum for Modernity)—to run for the presidency. The current head of state said the decision aims to "preserve peace and support from international donor organizations for the electoral process."
On Jan. 7, the government requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into whether war crimes were committed in the country during Patassé's tenure. The inquiry can only go as far back as 2002, when the tribunal's jurisdiction began.
On Jan. 24, barred candidates and representatives of the government convened in Libreville, with Gabonese president Omar Bongo acting as a mediator. After the meeting, the list of presidential candidates grew to 11, but Patassé was still not allowed to run. The election was re-scheduled for Mar. 13.
On Feb. 26, campaign activities officially began. Aside from the 11 presidential contenders, 709 candidates—including 152 women—are seeking a seat in the National Assembly.
Voting took place on Mar. 13. Aside from some polling stations that opened late, there were no major problems to report. Bozizé said the election was "a novel event in the Central African Republic, a true democracy is being established." CEMI chairman Jean Willybiro-Sako expressed satisfaction with the apparently large turnout, saying voters "showed patience and discipline in the waiting lines often under a merciless sun."
On Mar. 14, CEMI spokesman René Sakanga-Morouba said the election "went well." Some reports indicated that polling stations in Bangui remained open for several hours as voters waited in line. Some citizens complained about a new procedure, which lists all candidates in a single ballot instead of providing separate papers for each contender.
On Mar. 16, Bozizé dismissed vice-president Goumba—a presidential contender—before final tallies were announced. Government spokesman Alain-George Ngatoua said the vice-presidency was dissolved "because the new constitution does not make provision for the position." Goumba declared he was "disgusted by the way this has been done" saying he learned of the decision through state radio.
A statement from election monitors said some deficiencies "have been pointed out (but) do not amount to irregularities. (...) These elections can henceforth be considered free, reliable, fair and transparent."
On Mar. 22, spokesman Gaston King Mahoutou said Kolingba was the target of a failed assassination attempt, after gunshots were fired outside the candidate's house. The Interior Ministry deemed the clash a "misunderstanding" between soldiers.
Preliminary results were released on Mar. 23. With just over half of all the votes counted, Bozizé was in first place with 44.6 per cent, followed by Ziguele with 27.3 per cent and Kolingba with 13.5 per cent. Opposition spokesman Joseph Douacle complained about delays in issuing partial tallies, saying, "We all want the results purely and simply annulled."
On Mar. 31, CEMI chief Jean Willybiro Sacko said no contender "has managed to cross the 50 per cent barrier" and scheduled a run-off between the top two candidates for May 1. Bozizé finished in first place with 42.9 per cent of the vote, followed by Ziguele with 23.5 per cent.
On Apr. 3, CEMI announced that 17 candidates had secured a seat in the National Assembly. The remaining 88 legislators will be chosen during the May 1 run-off.
On Apr. 13, CEMI declared that the run-off would be postponed until May 8. No reason for the change of date was provided. On Apr. 21, Ngoupandé and Massi endorsed Bozizé in the run-off.
Run-off voting took place on May 8. CEMI reported that the second round progressed "calmly" in the capital and other regions of the country. The ballot-tallying process began on May 9.
On May 10, early results in five of the districts in Bangui had incumbent Bozizé in the lead. CEMI chairman Sako said turnout for the run-off appeared to be "slightly down" from the 68.27 per cent of the first round.
On May 14, CEMI issued partial results. With 40 per cent of all cast ballots tallied, Bozizé was in first place with almost 60 per cent of the vote, followed by Ziguele with 37 per cent.
Official results were released on May 24. Bozizé was declared the winner with 64.23 per cent of the vote, with Ziguele finishing second with 35.77 per cent. Ziguele conceded defeat, saying the ballot had been a "full expression of the Central African people."
In the National Assembly ballot, the Convergence Nationale "Kwa Na Kwa" (KNK—National Convergence "Kwa Na Kwa") became the top political group with 42 seats. The coalition includes the Parti de l'Unité Nationale (PUN—National Unity Party) and the Mouvement pour la Démocratie et le développement (MDD—Movement for Democracy and Development).
Political Players
President: François Bozizé
Prime minister: Célestin Gaombalet
The president took power in a coup. The legislative branch was dissolved. The new constitution established a five-year presidential term, renewable once.
Legislative Branch: The Assemblée Nationale (National Assembly) will have 105 members, elected to five-year terms in single-seat constituencies.
Results of Last Election:
President - Mar. 13 and May 8, 2005
Mar. 13 | May 8 | |
François Bozizé - | 42.9% | 64.23 |
Martin Ziguele - | 23.5% | 35.77 |
André Kolingba - | 16.3% | -- |
Jean Paul Ngoupandé - | 5.0% | -- |
Charles Massi - | 3.1% | -- |
Abel Goumba - | 2.4% | -- |
Henri Pouzere - | 2.0% | -- |
Josué Binoua - | 1.4% | -- |
Jean-Jacques Demafouth - | 1.1% | -- |
Auguste Boukanga - | 0.7% | -- |
Olivier Gabirault - | 0.5% | -- |
National Assembly - Mar. 13 and May 8, 2005
Seats | |
Convergence Nationale "Kwa Na Kwa" | 42 |
Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple | 11 |
Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain | 8 |
Parti Social Démocratique | 4 |
Front Patriotique pour le Progrès | 2 |
Alliance pour la Démocratie et le Progrès | 2 |
Löndö Association (Association Löndö) | 1 |
Full Report (PDF)
Full Report (PDF)