Touadera has been president of the CAR since March 2016. Earlier, he held the post of the Prime Minister of the country. Touadera’s popularity, according to polls, has increased lately and he is being lauded as the “people’s president” because he was able to repel the recent militant offensive. He showed himself to be a leader of his country, deserving of his title as the president of peace.
“Attempts by the opposition, supported by the rebel Coalition of Patriots for Change, to force the authorities to postpone the elections to a later date, have not been successful,” it was reported in a statement on the ruling by the Constitutional Court after it rejected the attempt to stall the election on December 26.
The circumstances in which the elections were held, were not peaceful. Opposition forces were trying to destabilize the country and disrupt the elections. The opposition had demanded the postponement of the vote.
François Bozizé, one of the opposition leaders, who has strong ties with France, called on the citizens of the CAR not to vote in the elections, and declared his support for the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).
He had been trying to hamper the electoral process in order to throw the country into chaos, which could have been to the advantage of foreign actors in the region. In the territories controlled by Bozizé’s supporters, attempts at thwarting the elections were noted: Bozize’s supporters prevented the opening of polling stations and destroyed empty ballots. But such acts did not influence the election process.
International observers from various organizations were present during the voting and their task was to ensure that the elections were democratic. The European Center for Geopolitical Analysis, one of the organizations represented in the international observation mission, will hold a press conference on December 28.
The results of the elections will be announced within the next few days.