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Election campaigning began on Saturday in the Central African Republic (CAR), as voters prepare for an unprecedented quadruple ballot scheduled for December 28. Citizens will simultaneously elect a president along with national, regional and municipal lawmakers in the conflict-prone nation.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera, widely regarded as the frontrunner, is seeking a third term after overseeing constitutional changes that removed term limits. He is competing against six other candidates. Thousands of his supporters gathered at a 20,000-seat stadium in the capital, Bangui, where he addressed the crowd amid accusations from opponents that he intends to rule indefinitely in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Touadera, who first came to power in 2016 during a brutal civil war, presented himself as a champion of young people and stressed that restoring stability remains unfinished business. “The fight for peace and security is not over,” he told supporters, adding that further strengthening of the armed forces was essential to securing the country and safeguarding national unity.
Opposition figures also took to the streets. Former prime minister Henri-Marie Dondra and long-time opposition leader Anicet-Georges Dologuele are Touadera’s most prominent challengers. Both had earlier expressed fears they might be excluded from the race due to tightened nationality rules introduced during the 2023 constitutional overhaul.
Campaigning in Bangui alongside a mobile convoy, Dologuele described the election as a decisive moment for the country’s future. “This vote is a choice for national survival — between resignation and hope,” he said, accusing the current administration of a decade marked by unfulfilled promises and hardship.
Dologuele, who also contested the presidency in 2020, said he renounced his French citizenship in September to comply with the revised requirement that presidential candidates hold only one nationality. However, his candidacy was thrown into doubt after courts revoked his Central African passport in mid-October, prompting him to lodge a complaint with the United Nations human rights office.
Meanwhile, a major opposition alliance, the Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution of March 2016 — announced in early October that it would boycott the elections altogether, alleging that the government has already rigged the outcome.
According to the electoral commission, around 2.3 million voters are expected to take part, including nearly 749,000 first-time registrants. The elections have been postponed several times due to problems with voter registration, funding shortages and persistent insecurity.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic has endured repeated coups, civil wars and political instability. While the presence of UN peacekeepers, Rwandan forces and Russian Wagner mercenaries has improved security in some areas, armed groups remain active along major roads and in eastern regions bordering Sudan and South Sudan.
