Campaigning began Saturday in the Central African Republic ahead of a quadruple election scheduled for December 28. Voters will choose their president, along with national, regional, and municipal lawmakers, amid ongoing security concerns.
Incumbent Faustin-Archange Touadera, seeking a third term after constitutional changes, drew thousands of supporters to Bangui’s stadium. Touadera, first elected in 2016 amid civil war, presented himself as a defender of youth and national unity.
“The fight for peace and security is not over,” he told the crowd, calling for a stronger army nationwide. Opposition leaders Henri-Marie Dondra and Anicet-Georges Dologuele remained on the ballot despite challenges over nationality rules.
Dologuele called the vote “a choice for national survival; a choice between resignation and hope” during a city tour. He criticised the decade-long regime, accusing it of broken promises and prolonged suffering for ordinary Centrafricans. Dologuele had renounced his French citizenship to comply with new rules but was stripped of his Centrafrican passport in October.
A leading opposition coalition announced a boycott, accusing Touadera’s government of rigging the election. Authorities expect roughly 2.3 million voters, including 749,000 first-time registrants, to participate in the polls.
The elections, repeatedly delayed by funding and security concerns, come amid decades of civil wars and coups since 1960. UN peacekeepers, Rwandan troops, and Russian mercenaries have stabilised some regions, yet armed groups remain in eastern border areas. The December vote will test the country’s fragile democracy and the citizens’ hope for a secure, peaceful future.