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The president is seeking a third term, which would extend his rule into a second decade – a possibility made feasible after term limits were abolished in 2023.
A constitutional court in the Central African Republic has begun reviewing a petition to disqualify the head of state from the presidential election scheduled for next December. The petition, filed by the Observatory for Democratic Governance, a civil society organization, argues that President Faustin Archange Touadéra should be disqualified on the grounds that he does not meet the required criteria to run for the presidency.
The group’s leader contests the origin of the president’s name, claiming it suggests a lineage that is impossible to trace – a requirement stipulated by the country’s constitution. It was not immediately clear if the court would accept this argument or when a verdict would be issued. The Minister of Territorial Administration dismissed the petition, describing it as a tool intended to “sow confusion among the population.”
The final list of candidates for the election has not yet been published. The president is seeking a third term, which would extend his rule into a second decade – a possibility made feasible after term limits were abolished in 2023.