from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – THE international community has appealed for calm and justice to prevail in the Central African Republic (CAR) after Faustin Archange Touadéra was re-elected for a second presidential term.
Provisional results released by the National Elections Authority (ANE) on Monday indicated the incumbent won 53,9 percent of the divisive poll that was held on December 27.
Mathias Morouba, president of the ANE, confirmed the outcome in the capital, Bangui.
Former Prime Ministers, Anicet-Georges Dologuélé and Martin Ziguélé, secured 21 percent and 7,46 percent respectively.
The Constitutional Court must proclaim the final result.
Despite the violence, a voter turnout of 76 percent was recorded.
The African Union Commission, Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) said they had “taken note” of the provisional results.
Stating from Addis Ababa, senior officials from these blocs urged all political actors to respect the decisions of the Constitutional Court amid some armed groups disputing the conduct of the elections.
They called for investigations into incidents of disinformation, hatred and incitement to violence, including against international personnel, as well as the violence perpetrated by certain armed groups aimed at compromising the electoral process.
Some civilian populations, humanitarian workers, national defense forces were not spared the deadly terror.
Francois Bozizé, the former president who was barred from running, is under investigation for allegedly aiding armed coalitions that attempted to disrupt the election.
Regional blocs meanwhile advocated for the re-launch of the peace process reached in 2019 but flouted by rebel groups.
– CAJ News