President Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election, securing a third term after obtaining an outright majority, according to provisional results released by the electoral commission.
The poll, held on 28 December, followed a 2023 constitutional referendum that removed presidential term limits, allowing Touadera, 68, to seek another mandate. He first assumed office ten years ago.
Announcing the results on Monday night, the head of the electoral commission, Mathias Morouba, said Touadera won 76.15 per cent of the votes cast. Former prime minister Anicet-Georges Dologuele came second with 14.66 per cent, while another former premier, Henri-Marie Dondra, received 3.19 per cent. Voter turnout stood at 52.42 per cent.
Touadera based his campaign largely on improvements in national security in the conflict-prone country, citing the deployment of Russian security contractors and Rwandan troops, as well as peace agreements signed this year with several armed groups.
However, the election was boycotted by the main opposition coalition, the Bloc Républicain pour la Défense de la Constitution (BRDC), which argued that the process would not be credible. Even before the results were announced, Dologuele and Dondra publicly questioned the integrity of the vote, alleging widespread irregularities.
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Speaking at a press conference last Friday, Dologuele described the election as “a methodical attempt to manipulate” the outcome, adding that voters had expressed a “clear desire for change”. The government has rejected all allegations of fraud.
The Constitutional Court is expected to review any petitions and confirm the final results by 20 January.
Touadera’s re-election is expected to reinforce Russia’s influence in the resource-rich country, where Moscow has exchanged security support for access to minerals such as gold and diamonds. Nevertheless, the president has also indicated openness to renewed engagement with Western partners, particularly in developing lithium, uranium and gold reserves.
Although voting took place without major unrest unlike the 2020 election, which was disrupted by rebel activity analysts caution that the country’s security situation remains fragile.
“Armed groups have not disappeared; they have been absorbed into the system,” said Nathalia Dukhan, a Central Africa analyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. She warned that tensions could resurface if former combatants feel excluded from power or economic benefits.
Touadera entered the race as the frontrunner, benefiting from firm control over state institutions and significantly greater financial resources than his rivals.
