CAR postpones local, regional election to July 2023

Central African Republic (CAR) authorities have postponed local and regional elections initially slated for January 23 to July 16 same year.

The Strategic Committee to Support the Electoral Process, a committee encompassing the state and National Elections Authority (ANE), made the announcement after a meeting with the country’s Premier Félix Moloua.

“We have established a new pre-poll schedule. This schedule, released on Monday, November 21, has milestones to achieve before the vote,” ANE Chief Dr Mathias Mourouba told Anadolu news agency.

“According to our schedule, from December 5, 2022, we will put in place the members of the NSA. After this process will follow the revision of the electoral rolls which must take place between December 12, 2022 and March 18, 2023,” Mourouba added.

“Candidates for the various elections will have to file their applications from April 30 to July 14, 2023 then we will launch the election campaign,” he said adding that “the first round of voting will take place on July 16, 2023

This is the second time the elections are being postponed. They were earlier on set for September this year.

“The date of September 11, 2022 could not be respected because there are first of all prerequisites that must be respected. There is a problem of financing to carry out our activities. In particular, the revision of the electoral rolls and the mapping operations to redefine the electoral constituencies. As long as we do not do this, we will not be able to fulfill our commitments.”

The last time the country organized local and regional elections dates back to 1988.

The electoral process will cost the African country $15 million.