Presidential election campaigns in the Central African Republic officially kicked off in the capital city of Bangui on Saturday, as voters prepare to select the country's top leader from seven candidates on December 28.
Incumbent President Faustin Archange Touadera, who has been in power since 2016, is seeking a third term. In 2023, the country amended the constitution to permit him to do so. The incumbent launched his campaign with pomp and color.
"The President has just given his first campaign speech, in which he reiterated the arguments he made in his address to the nation, taking stock and making promises, and above all pointing out the challenges facing young people as they take over the country," said Touadera's presidential advisor, Guy Roger Mouskit.
Touadera's main opponents are Anicet-Georges Dologuele and Henri-Marie Dondra, both former prime ministers, who have pledged to fight poverty and improve living conditions for the population.
"A country that does not invest in its people abandons itself. This project for society, ladies and gentlemen, is a precise roadmap with clear priorities, planned actions and a coherent vision. And this project says one essential thing: the Central African Republic can be reborn, and we are committed to facing the truth," said Anicet-Georges Dologuele in his public speech.
Approximately 2.3 million voters in the Central African Republic have registered for the quadruple elections to pick their president, legislators, and local and municipal leaders.
Campaigns kick off for Central African Republic's presidential election
