Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has won a third term in office after securing an outright majority in last month’s presidential election, according to provisional results released by the country’s election authority.
Touadéra, 68, obtained 76 percent of the vote in the 28 December polls, results announced late Monday show. His nearest challengers, former prime ministers Anicet-Georges Dologuélé and Henri-Marie Dondra, garnered 15 percent and 3 percent respectively.
The outcome was widely anticipated after the main opposition coalition boycotted the election, citing concerns over the credibility and fairness of the process. Both Dologuélé and Dondra have rejected the provisional results and called for the vote to be annulled, alleging widespread irregularities and fraud.
On Friday, Dologuélé said there had been “a methodical attempt to manipulate” the election outcome. The government has denied the allegations.
More than 2.4 million voters were registered for the general election, which observers described as largely peaceful despite delays caused by the late delivery of voting materials and problems with the electoral register.
The Constitutional Court has until 20 January to rule on any legal challenges and to declare the final results.
Touadéra campaigned heavily on his security record in the conflict-scarred country, which has struggled with instability since 2013 when rebels seized power and ousted then president François Bozizé. In the years that followed, the government enlisted support from Russian mercenaries and Rwandan troops to help restore order.
The president has faced sustained criticism since a 2023 constitutional referendum removed presidential term limits, clearing the way for him to run again.
Although a 2019 peace deal between the government and 14 armed groups helped ease tensions, at least six of those groups later withdrew from the agreement, leaving large parts of the country vulnerable to sporadic violence.
The Central African Republic remains one of Africa’s poorest and most unstable nations, despite being rich in natural resources such as diamonds, gold and uranium. The United Nations estimates that nearly half of the population depends on humanitarian assistance.
Analysts say Touadéra’s victory is likely to further strengthen Russia’s influence in the country, where Moscow has provided security support in exchange for access to strategic resources. CAR was among the first African states to host the Wagner group, which played a key role in providing protection to the government.
As legal challenges loom and opposition leaders dispute the outcome, attention now turns to the Constitutional Court’s decision, which will determine whether Touadéra’s third term is formally confirmed.