Central African President modifies constitution to run for 3rd term
The highest court in the Central African Republic (CAR) has given its approval to the results of a referendum held on July 30. This referendum indicated that 95 percent of voters supported changes to the constitution that would allow President Faustin Archange Touadera to run for a third term. These changes, which have faced strong criticism from the opposition, involve removing the two-term limit for the presidency and extending the presidential term from five to seven years.
The president of the Constitutional Court, Jean-Pierre Waboe, announced the official validation and declaration of the results from the constitutional referendum during a court session. The final results differed only slightly from the initial figures provided by the National Election Authority on August 7.
The “Yes” votes were officially recorded as 95.03 percent, a small difference from the earlier 95.27 percent. The voter turnout was adjusted to 57.23 percent, down from the previously announced 61.10 percent.
Despite the referendum results, major opposition parties and civil society organizations had called for a boycott.
The Central African Republic, which is one of the world’s poorest and most troubled countries, has a history marked by conflict and political instability since gaining independence from France in 1960.
President Touadera, aged 66, first took office in 2016 following a period of French military intervention and the deployment of UN peacekeepers. These efforts ended a violent civil war that had erupted along sectarian lines.
In 2020, he secured a second term in the presidential election. However, only a third of eligible voters participated as rebel groups that controlled parts of the country intimidated potential voters.
Last September, the Constitutional Court dealt a significant setback to the proposed constitutional changes by rejecting the establishment of a committee tasked with drafting the new constitution.
Source AFP