Former CAR presidential hopeful elected national assembly speaker

Abdou Karim Meckassoua was on Friday elected as the new Speaker of the Central African Republic National Assembly.

A total of 128 MPs took part in the poll.

Meckassoua garnered 73 percent of the vote defeating his main challengers who included Martin Ziguele, the Chairman of the Movement of the People of CAR and Anicet Georges Dologuele, who was also defeated in the last presidential run-off.

An MP of the first constituency of the third district of Bangui, Meckassoua was appointed to four ministerial portfolios under President Francois Bozize.

He was among the 30 presidential hopefuls during the last presidential election which was won by Faustin Archange Touadera.

Meckassoua had backed Touadera in the second round of the country’s presidential elections, a move that enabled him to prevail over Dologuele for the speaker’s post.

Other members that constitute the Office of the Parliamentary Speaker are however yet to be elected.