Nouvelle Constitution adoptée, quinze (15) candidats disputeront la présidence
Bangui,
29 Dec 2004, Nations (IRIN)- La grande majorité des
électeurs en République Centrafricaine ont approuvé une
nouvelle constitution lors d’un référendum tenu le 5
décembre dernier, a annoncé dimanche M. Jean Wilibiro-Sacko, le
président du comité électoral mixte indépendant.
Il a dit que 90,4 pour cent des électeurs ont voté en faveur de l’adoption d’une nouvelle constitution, contre 9,6 pour cent qui ont voté en défaveur.
Le président de la république, le général François Bozize, a fixé la date des élections parlementaires et présidentielles pour le 13 février 2005. Selon le comité électoral, 15 candidats ont déjà déclaré qu’ils comptaient disputer la présidence.
Les candidats incluent, entre autres, l’actuel président François Bozize et deux anciens présidents, André Kolingba et Ange-Félix Patassé.
BANGUI, 20 Dec 2004 (IRIN)
- An overwhelming majority of voters in the Central African
Republic (CAR) approved a new constitution at a referendum held
on 5 December, an official of the country's electoral commission
announced on Sunday.
Jean Wilibiro-Sacko, the chairman of the Mixed Independent
Electoral Commission, or CEMI, said 90.4 percent of the voters
favoured the adoption of the new constitution, while 9.6 percent
were against it. Voter participation was 77.43 percent, he added.
"We were expecting such a result, since all political
parties supported the draft constitution and called on their
supporters to vote for it," Wilibiro-Sacko told IRIN on
Sunday.
The referendum was conducted across the country despite several
organisational problems, which included delayed openings of some
polling centres, the omission of names from voters' lists and
confusion over the duration of the voting. Many voters said they
had not known that the polling would last only 10 hours, and they
blamed this on insufficient sensitisation by electoral officials.
The new constitution is similar to that of 1995, which CAR leader
Gen Francois Bozize suspended when he seized power in a coup on
15 March 2003. It provides for a five-year presidential term,
renewable only once, and the appointment of the prime minister
from the political party with a parliamentary majority.
Bozize has set parliamentary and presidential elections for 13
February 2005.
Already, 15 candidates have declared interest in contesting the
presidency, according to the electoral commission. The commission
closed the registration of presidential candidates on Thursday.
Candidates include Bozize and former presidents André Kolingba
of the Rassemblement democratique Centrafricain and Ange-Felix
Patasse of Mouvement de liberation du peuple Centrafricain, whom
Bozize ousted.
At 78-years old, Vice-President Abel Goumba is the oldest of the
candidates. Goumba ran for president in 1993 and in 1999.
The contenders also include former prime ministers Martin Ziguele
and Jean-Paul Ngoupande, Charles Massi, Auguste Boukanga Olivier
Gabirault, former mayor of Bangui and Jean-Jacques Demafouth,
former minister of defence. Fidele Ngouadjika, the sales manager
of SOCATEL, the country's telephone company, Henri Pouzere, a
lawyer living in Gabon, and Josué Binoua, a pastor, have
declared their interest in running as independent candidates.
Enoch Derant-Lakoue, former prime minister and currently director
of the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale - the central
bank of central African states - and former Bangui mayor Joseph
Bendounga are also in contention for the CAR's top political
seat.
According to the electoral commission, the transitional
constitutional court is due to examine and publish a definitive
list of presidential candidates.
Actualité Centrafrique de sangonet - spéciale élections 2005