Results from the Sunday Presidential elections are underway in the Central African Republic according to the Country’s electoral body.
The Sunday election saw 2.3 million voters queing up at polling stations across the country to vote for the president, legislators, as well as municipal and regional representatives.
Political observers conversant with the affairs of CAR argue that incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra is destined for a win with a wider margin of the votes.
“The president will win because he has much more financial capacity than the opponents,” says Charles Bouessel of International Crisis Group.
The Sunday election is a stark contrast of the country’s political past. Central African Republic (CAR) has endured repeated cycles of unrest since gaining its independence from France in 1960, leaving most of its 5.5 million people in poverty.
The incumbent President is competing against opposition figures, Anicet-Georges Dologuele and former prime minister and critic Henri-Marie Dondra.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes, a runoff election will be held.
The election process was largely peaceful and conducted under close supervision by international peace missions, including the United Nations mission in the CAR, MINUSCA, as well as military support from Russia and Rwanda that have helped to partially stabilise the situation in recent years.
