Hopes for peace rise as Central African Republic votes in presidential run-off
by Agency Staff,
2016-02-14 19:46:23.0
BANGUI — Voters in the Central African Republic cast their ballots on Sunday in delayed legislative elections and a presidential run-off which they hope will bring peace after the country’s worst sectarian violence since independence in 1960.
The nation, dogged by coups and misrule since winning independence from France, could take a step towards rebirth if the polls and their aftermath go smoothly.
The vote apparently passed off peacefully, with security tight as United Nations peacekeepers and French soldiers helped to patrol areas where tensions remain high.
The two men in the close presidential race are both former prime ministers who have campaigned on promises to restore security and boost the economy in the mineral-rich but poor country.
Anicet Georges Dologuele, a 58-year-old former central banker known as "Mr Clean" for his efforts to bring transparency to murky public finances, won the first round on December 30, taking 23.78% of the vote.
He faced Faustin Archange Touadera, a former maths professor, in the run-off. Also 58, Mr Touadera was standing as an independent and surprised everyone by coming second in the first round with 19.4%. Mr Touadera’s popularity stems from a measure he introduced as prime minister — paying government salaries directly into bank accounts, ending decades of pay arrears and unpaid wages.
Mr Dologuele wished voters a happy Valentine’s Day as he cast his ballot in Bangui.
"Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, and I’d like Central Africans to see voting today as an act of love for their country."
He spoke of the "joy of being able to vote in the second round and in doing so, to participate in the transition and the start of a new era for the Central African Republic".
Mr Touadera, speaking to voters near the working-class neighbourhood of Boy Rabe, pitched himself as the people’s candidate. "I am confident of the outcome of the vote," he told supporters who were already addressing him as "president".
Central Africans also voted in a re-run of the last legislative election, also held on December 30, that was later annulled over numerous irregularities.
A total of 1,800 candidates were competing for 105 seats in the National Assembly.
Queues in the capital were noticeably thinner than in December, with barely half of eligible voters having cast their ballots less than two hours before polling stations closed in midafternoon.
Voters in some parts of Bangui and the provinces complained of being turned away because their names were not on the list or because they were not carrying proof of identity.
The race for the presidency is expected to be close but results are not expected for several days.
Mr Dologuele has the backing of the candidate who came third in the first round while Mr Touadera has the support of 22 other candidates who ran in December.
CAR’s most recent episode of bloodletting was sparked by the March 2013 ousting of long-serving president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance.
The coup sparked a series of revenge attacks involving Muslim forces and Christian vigilante groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) militias.
Thousands were killed in the spiral of atrocities that drove about a tenth of the population of 4.8-million to flee their homes.
Both Mr Dologuele and Mr Touadera are Christians.
Turnout was high in December’s elections, despite huge logistical problems and grinding poverty. Some 1.3 million valid ballots were cast in a country with nearly two million registered voters.
The elections came after 93% of voters backed a constitutional referendum that cleared the way for the vote.
It also followed Pope Francis’s groundbreaking trip in November — his first to a war zone. His impassioned plea for peace and reconciliation has been taken up by candidates, political parties and religious leaders.
AFP
Central African Democratic Unity partysecond round presidential candidate Anicet Georges Dologuele, right, and surprise independent runner-up Faustin Archange Touadera during Sunday's presidential run-off, in Bangui. Mr Dologuele urged voters to cast their ballots as an act of love on Valentine’s Day. Picture: AFP PHOTO/ISSOUF SANOGO
BANGUI — Voters in the Central African Republic cast their ballots on Sunday in delayed legislative elections and a presidential run-off which they hope will bring peace after the country’s worst sectarian violence since independence in 1960.
The nation, dogged by coups and misrule since winning independence from France, could take a step towards rebirth if the polls and their aftermath go smoothly.
The vote apparently passed off peacefully, with security tight as United Nations peacekeepers and French soldiers helped to patrol areas where tensions remain high.
The two men in the close presidential race are both former prime ministers who have campaigned on promises to restore security and boost the economy in the mineral-rich but poor country.
Anicet Georges Dologuele, a 58-year-old former central banker known as "Mr Clean" for his efforts to bring transparency to murky public finances, won the first round on December 30, taking 23.78% of the vote.
He faced Faustin Archange Touadera, a former maths professor, in the run-off. Also 58, Mr Touadera was standing as an independent and surprised everyone by coming second in the first round with 19.4%. Mr Touadera’s popularity stems from a measure he introduced as prime minister — paying government salaries directly into bank accounts, ending decades of pay arrears and unpaid wages.
Mr Dologuele wished voters a happy Valentine’s Day as he cast his ballot in Bangui.
"Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, and I’d like Central Africans to see voting today as an act of love for their country."
He spoke of the "joy of being able to vote in the second round and in doing so, to participate in the transition and the start of a new era for the Central African Republic".
Mr Touadera, speaking to voters near the working-class neighbourhood of Boy Rabe, pitched himself as the people’s candidate. "I am confident of the outcome of the vote," he told supporters who were already addressing him as "president".
Central Africans also voted in a re-run of the last legislative election, also held on December 30, that was later annulled over numerous irregularities.
A total of 1,800 candidates were competing for 105 seats in the National Assembly.
Queues in the capital were noticeably thinner than in December, with barely half of eligible voters having cast their ballots less than two hours before polling stations closed in midafternoon.
Voters in some parts of Bangui and the provinces complained of being turned away because their names were not on the list or because they were not carrying proof of identity.
The race for the presidency is expected to be close but results are not expected for several days.
Mr Dologuele has the backing of the candidate who came third in the first round while Mr Touadera has the support of 22 other candidates who ran in December.
CAR’s most recent episode of bloodletting was sparked by the March 2013 ousting of long-serving president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance.
The coup sparked a series of revenge attacks involving Muslim forces and Christian vigilante groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) militias.
Thousands were killed in the spiral of atrocities that drove about a tenth of the population of 4.8-million to flee their homes.
Both Mr Dologuele and Mr Touadera are Christians.
Turnout was high in December’s elections, despite huge logistical problems and grinding poverty. Some 1.3 million valid ballots were cast in a country with nearly two million registered voters.
The elections came after 93% of voters backed a constitutional referendum that cleared the way for the vote.
It also followed Pope Francis’s groundbreaking trip in November — his first to a war zone. His impassioned plea for peace and reconciliation has been taken up by candidates, political parties and religious leaders.
AFP
Change: 0.07%
Change: 0.23%
Change: -0.35%
Change: 0.13%
Change: 0.43%
Data supplied by Profile Data
Change: 0.63%
Change: 2.00%
Change: 0.07%
Change: 0.00%
Change: 1.95%
Data supplied by Profile Data
Change: 0.25%
Change: 0.60%
Change: 0.30%
Change: 0.37%
Change: 0.68%
Data supplied by Profile Data
Change: -0.50%
Change: -0.32%
Change: -0.72%
Change: -0.59%
Change: 3.97%
Data supplied by Profile Data