Central African Republic: Opposition Candidates Dispute Election Plan

DFID / Simon Davis
Despite an abundance of diamonds and timber, landlocked CAR is one of the poorest states in Africa.
11 January 2011
allAfrica.com

The presidential election campaign in the Central African Republic officially began on Monday, with voters expected to go to the polls on the January 23. Candidates vying for the presidency include the incumbent, François Bozizé, and former president Ange-Félix Patassé.

Others are former Prime Minister Martin Ziguélé, of the Mouvement de libération du peuple centrafricain (MLPC), Emile Nakombo of the  Rassemblement démocratique centrafricain (RDC) and former defence minister Jean-Jacques Démafouth of l'Armée populaire pour la restauration de la démocratie (APRD).

Although the election is meant to take place on January 23, Radio France Internationale reports that some reliable sources doubt the country's ability to organize polling by then.

Among issues they cite are problems related to the voters' register and the credibility of the electoral commission.

Other concerns relate to the candidates: although the incumbent and his predecessor have confirmed their participation, other candidates have threatened a boycott if various demands are not met.

The Cameroon Tribune reports that Ziguélé, Démafouth, Nakombo and the independent candidate Justin Innocent Wilité, have issued a memorandum saying the electoral process in its current form "is neither transparent, legal nor equitable."

They have denounced "the lack of independence of the election commission, the systematic violation of the electoral code, the near imposssibilty of free circulation within the national territory and the presence of a rebel movement in the northern section of the country."

These candidates decry the insecurity rendered by the Ugandan rebels, the Lords Resistance Army, and the Convention patriotique pour la justice et la paix (CPJP), a local rebel group fighting in other areas of the country.

The protesting candidates say that until corrective measures are taken that will allow for free and transparent elections, they are not ready to take part and will withdraw.

They say that "since the creation of the electoral commission in Octber 2009, every action by the institution has been construed systematically to violate the electoral code of the country with the sole aim of giving victory to the incumbent even before elections are held."

François Bozizé came to power in 2003 through a coup. He was elected president in 2005.

Report compiled and translated by Michael Tantoh from the following: La campagne officielle pour la présidentielle a débuté and
Quatre candidats menacent de boycotter la présidentielle

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