Central African Republic's President Touadera confirms third-term bid

Central African Republic’s incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadera will run for a third term in office.

He confirmed his bid on Saturday after his nomination as presidential candidate by his United Hearts Movement party.

Touadera’s current term was meant to be his last, but a 2023 constitutional referendum saw the two-term limit abolished.

It also extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years.

He won a second term in 2020, though rebel groups, including the Coalition of Patriots for Change, fought to overturn that result.

Since taking office in 2016, the 68-year-old has enlisted outside forces to stay in power – including mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group – amid a persistent conflict.

Since independence from France in 1960, the resource-rich country has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions.

No date has been set for December’s presidential, legislative, and local elections.