CAR presidential campaign launches amid tension and promises of peace

Election campaigning has officially begun in the Central African Republic ahead of the presidential vote scheduled for December 28.

Incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra launched his campaign on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at Bangui’s Omnisports Stadium, where he addressed thousands of supporters. Returning from the town of Sibut, where he had earlier kicked off his re-election bid, Touadéra was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd. His camp is banking on a strong turnout to secure victory in the first round.

Igor Tola Kogadou, a candidate for the National Assembly from the ruling United Hearts Movement (MCU), hailed the scale of mobilisation in favour of the president.

“I saw the population mobilizing for this election, for the victory of the Head of State, Professor Faustin-Archange Touadéra, candidate number one, the champion of the United Hearts Movement in the first round,” he said.

Touadéra, who is seeking a second term, is presenting himself as the guarantor of stability. For his supporters, his record on peace and the prospect of a return to lasting stability are key reasons to renew their confidence in him over his rivals.

“You see there is joy, enthusiasm, and a lot of emotion, because we see that the population has understood that peace is needed. And the Central African people want peace with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra. That is why we are all here, truly joyful, to begin this presidential, legislative, regional, and municipal campaign,” said Josiane Nina Bemakassui, former Minister of Humanitarian Action.

Opposition puts forward an alternative vision

Even before the official start of the campaign, opposition presidential candidate Anicet-Georges Dologuélé unveiled a programme built around 25 social pillars. His platform focuses on building a strong state and reviving the country’s fragile economy.

“Without a strong state, there is neither development, nor stability, nor a future. The third pillar is economic recovery and the creation of opportunities for all. We want a country where initiative is encouraged and where work pays,” Dologuélé said.

The opposition leader also announced Serge Bokassa's support, a former minister previously allied with Touadéra, in a move seen as a symbolic defection from the ruling camp.

At the same time, Dologuélé launched a stinging attack on the authorities, accusing them of instrumentalising questions of nationality and weakening democratic institutions.

“The architecture of Central African democracy has collapsed. Nationality is being handed out left and right; they even talk about distributing it through some tokenization, I don’t know what, and meanwhile, the nationality of fellow citizens is being challenged,” he said.

A tense campaign climate

The campaign period, which will run for two weeks, is unfolding in a highly tense context, according to the United Nations, with concerns about security, political polarisation and the risk of violence.

Despite the tensions, all main candidates, including President Touadéra, have called for a peaceful, orderly campaign and for citizens to express their choices at the ballot box rather than in the streets.