Central African Republic’s Touadera wins third presidential term

According to preliminary results, President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera, has won a third term in office and secured an overwhelming majority in the presidential election on December 28.

Touadera received 76.15 percent of the vote, while former prime minister Henri-Marie Dondra received 3.19 percent and former prime minister Anicet-Georges Dologuele received 14.66 percent.

Voter turnout ‍was 52.42 percent.

After the constitutional referendum in 2023 removed the presidential term cap, Touadera, 68, was running for reelection.

After enlisting the assistance of Russian mercenaries and Rwandan soldiers, he campaigned on his security record in the chronically unstable nation. This year, he also ratified peace agreements with a number of rebel groups.

The main opposition coalition, known as BRDC, objected to the election because it argued it would not be fair.

Dologuele and Dondra had called separate press conferences to denounce what they thought was election fraud even before the results were released.

The outcome was “a methodical attempt to manipulate,” Dologuele, the runner-up in the 2020 election, claimed at a press conference on Friday.

Dologuele claimed that “the people of Central Africa spoke on December 28.” They “strongly desired change,” they said.

The Touadera government has denied any allegations of fraud.

The Constitutional Court has until January 20 to hear any objections and issue a decision.