Central African Republic Holds Referendum to Abolish Presidential Term Limits

The Central African Republic overwhelmingly voted to approve a constitutional referendum abolishing presidential term limits, the national poll body announced on Monday. The vote, which took place on July 30, saw a turnout of 61.10 percent, with 95.27 percent in favor and 4.73 percent against.

It would extend a president’s time in office from five years to seven and get rid of the two-term limit. This allows the current president, Faustin-Archange Touadera, 66, to legally run for a third term.

He has been president since 2016 and, before that, served as the country’s prime minister from 2008 to 2013. He won for a second time in 2020 after allegations of election fraud.

The vote was boycotted by Touadera’s main opposition parties, who say that he wants to “remain president for life”. His opponents also include local human rights organizations and armed rebel groups. They complained about the lack of an up-to-date electoral register and bribery within institutions that were meant to guarantee a free and fair vote. Government officials have also been accused of threatening and intimidating opponents prior to the referendum.

“It’s a comedy… We’ve all seen that people didn’t go out to vote, and it doesn’t reflect the will of the Central African people,” said Crépin Mboli-Goumba, coordinator of the Republican Bloc for the Defense of the Constitution (BRDC), in an interview with Agence France-Presse.

The definitive outcome is set to be published by the constitutional court on August 27.