Touadera has turned to Russia and Rwanda for security supportReferendum in 2023 scrapped presidential term limitTop challengers have accused government of election fraud<\/p>\n
BANGUI, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera has won a third term in office, securing an outright majority in the presidential election held on December 28, provisional results from the electoral commission showed on Monday.<\/p>\n
The 68-year-old mathematician<\/a> who took power a decade ago was seeking a third term after a constitutional referendum in 2023 scrapped the presidential term limit.<\/p>\n Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n He campaigned on his security record in the chronically unstable nation after enlisting help from Russian mercenaries and Rwandan soldiers. He also signed peace deals with several rebel groups this year.<\/p>\n The results announced on Monday night by Mathias Morouba, the country’s top election official, showed Touadera received 76.15% of the vote, while former prime minister Anicet-Georges Dologuele received 14.66% and former prime minister Henri-Marie Dondra received 3.19%.<\/p>\n Voter turnout was 52.42%, Morouba said.<\/p>\n The main opposition coalition, known by its French acronym BRDC, boycotted the election, saying it would not be fair.<\/p>\n Even before the results were announced, Dologuele and Dondra had cast doubt on their credibility, calling separate press conferences to denounce what they described as election fraud.<\/p>\n Dologuele, the runner-up in the 2020 election, told a press conference on Friday that there had been “a methodical attempt to manipulate” the outcome.<\/p>\n “The Central African people spoke on December 28,” Dologuele said. “They expressed a clear desire for change.”<\/p>\n Touadera’s government has denied any fraud took place.<\/p>\n The Constitutional Court has until January 20 to adjudicate any challenges and declare definitive results.<\/p>\n RUSSIA ALLY TO STAY IN POWER<\/p>\n Touadera’s victory will likely further the interests of Russia, which has traded security assistance for access to resources including gold and diamonds.<\/p>\n But Touadera has also signalled a renewed interest in Western partnerships, saying he would welcome any country willing to develop CAR’s lithium, uranium and gold reserves.<\/p>\n Opposition groups have said the 2023 referendum that allowed him to extend his rule into a second decade was proof he wants to be president for life.<\/p>\n There were no reports of major disturbances during the voting on December 28, a far cry from the last election in 2020, when rebel groups prevented hundreds of polling stations from opening.<\/p>\n But analysts warn Touadera’s security gains remain fragile.<\/p>\n “Armed groups have not disappeared. They have just been incorporated into the system,” said Nathalia Dukhan, Central Africa analyst for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.<\/p>\n Some leaders of armed groups have received government jobs after signing peace deals with Touadera, Dukhan said.<\/p>\n “But if they see that the system is not serving their interest, things could take a dramatic turn,” she added.<\/p>\n Touadera’s control over state institutions and superior financial resources made him the favourite ahead of voting.<\/p>\n Reporting by Pacome Pabandji; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Stephen Coates<\/p>\n Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n