BANGUI, 1 January 2020 – Ten opposition parties in the Central African Republic (CAR) have called for a re-run of Sunday’s election, claiming it was marred by insecurity and fraud.
The alliance of parties known as the Democratic Opposition Coalition (COD-2020) says only a third of eligible voters were able to take part in the ballot.
Source: Vanguard News
In a statement, the COD-2020 called the ballot an “electoral farce” marred by widespread ballot stuffing.
More than a third of CAR’s administrative districts did not take part in Sunday’s election for the presidency and the National Assembly, according to official figures.
Militia still control about two-thirds of the country.
On Sunday, some of the rebel groups hampered voting, including by intimidating voters.
The government of incumbent president Faustin-Archange Touadera on Tuesday rejected the allegations made by COD-2020).
Photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP
In a statement, Bangui described the twin elections as “credible, committed and popular”.
The international community sees the ballot as a key stability test for CAR.
The country has been caught in violence ever since a civil war broke out following the coup attempt of 2013.
In the days immediately preceding the ballot, some of the rebel groups launched an offensive aimed, ostensibly at toppling the government and preventing the election from holding.
Peacekeepers TRT World
Last December 19, the government accused former president, Francois Bozize, of fomenting a coup with several of the rebel groups, a charge Bozize denies.
Voters in Sunday’s Ballot – Photo Lockhaven.com
With the help of the joint Union Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission, the rebels were beaten back.
Some of the towns that fell to rebel control in the days immediately preceding the vote were retaken by peacekeepers, whose presence comforted voters as they cast their ballots in Sunday’s presidential election.
