Deux nominations par le président François Bozizé, mardi 22 janvier 2008: Faustin Touadéra (premiers ministre), David Gbanga (Directeur général de Radio Centrafrique)

 


Faustin Touadera nommé Premier Minstre

Le président François Bozizé a nommé, mardi, au poste de Premier ministre M. Faustin Touadéra, recteur de l'université de Bangui, a appris l'ACAP de source officielle

Maître de conférence en mathématique, Faustin Touadéra occupait le poste de recteur de l'université de Bangui depuis 2004

La nomination de M. Touadéra intervient 4 jours après la démission de l'ancien Premier ministre Elie Doté, qui était en fonction depuis juin 2005. (Mardi 22/01/2008, ACAP)

 

 

 

Touadéra named new Prime Minister

Jan 22nd, 2008 by Tino Kreutzer, HDPT CAR

President François Bozizé today named Faustin Touadéra as the new Prime Minister of the Central African Republic. The current rector of the University of Bangui thus succeeds Elie Doté, who resigned with his government on January 18th amid an escalating wage crisis. The swift transition to a successor government is expected to calm acts of protest planned for Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Touadéra has been the head of the University of Bangui since 2004. He is regarded as a distinguished researcher in mathematics and bioethics but has so far kept a very low public and political profile. In his position as university rector, Touadéra was appointed four years ago by President Bozizé and serves directly under the minister of education.

Former Prime Minister Elie Doté resigned, together with his government, on Friday, following thre weeks of strikes by unions and government workers over salary arrears. Doté’s move came one day before the parliament was expected to vote on a motion of no-confidence against him by the country’s national assembly.

The resignation came amid a countrywide general strike that began on 2 January, 2008. It was initiated by the major trade unions, who protest against the failure to pay salaries for government employees, a long-standing issue in poverty-stricken CAR. Many civil servants and teachers have not received salaries for up to seven months. The strikes follow similar protests that took place in 2007. Aside from such strikes, there has been no violent unrest in Bangui in the last two years.

The government of CAR does not have the funds to pay all salary arrears for civil servants, teachers, and military personnel, and a meeting between president Bozizé and union leaders on Thursday failed to reach a settlement. The issue of salary arrears is vital to Bozizé’s presidency, as support from the now-critical unions was key to his success in the 2005 elections.

The general lack of development and economic progress in CAR over more than 20 years has contributed to a humanitarian emergency in the north of the country, where living conditions have not improved since Bozizé came to power in 2003, and where unrest and fighting between rebel groups and government troops has led to the displacement of almost 300,000 people.

 


 

David Gbanga, nommé directeur général de Radio Centrafrique

Le président François Bozizé a nommé, mardi en début de soirée, au poste de Directeur Général, David Gbanga, journaliste, directeur de publication du journal privé l'Equatorial a appris l'ACAP de source officielle. (Mardi 22/01/2008, ACAP)

  

Actualité Centrafrique de sangonet