Op-Ed: the president's perilous referendum project in the Central African Republic

In May, Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra announced a constitutional referendum for 30 July 2023. [...] Despite encountering serious resistance, the presidential camp has remained determined. The Constitutional Court, chaired by Professor Danièle Darlan, issued a ruling on 23 September 2020 declaring the planned reform unconstitutional, particularly the possible lifting of presidential term limits. She was automatically retired and replaced by Jean-Pierre Waboé, who is seen as close to the president. [...] With the announcement of the date of the constitutional referendum, the political actors and civil society again mobilised. The Bloc Républicain pour la Défense de la Constitution, a group of opposition parties, is firmly opposed to the proposed constitutional reform. The Groupe d’action des organisations de la société civile pour la défense de la Constitution du 30 Mars 2016 was set up to block the way to this initiative. On their side, rebel movements base their threats on Touadéra’s desire to run for a third term at any cost. They intend to prevent this through military means. These rebels are regularly involved in attacks, especially in the Nana-Mambéré and Bamingui-Bangoran prefectures. [...] Despite signing an integrated security plan for the elections with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR, growing insecurity will limit voting across all the country’s prefectures. Even if it does go ahead, there’s a real risk that the referendum won’t be inclusive. This could lead to even more protests and tension, which could mar future political processes such as the local elections – which have already been postponed several times – and the 2025 presidential polls.
Read the full article here: ISS Africa via AllAfrica