CAR’s constitutional court has approved President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s bid to run in next month’s presidential election, rejecting a petition that claimed he did not meet the required lineage criteria to qualify for the race.
The ruling also confirmed the candidacies of opposition figure Anicet Georges Dologuélé and five other aspirants for the December 28 vote.
Touadéra, who took office in 2016 and secured re-election in 2021, remains a key ally of Russia on the African continent.
The Central African Republic was one of the first countries to allow the Russian mercenary group Wagner to establish a presence, offering access to mineral resources in exchange for assistance in battling rebel groups and supporting government stability.
However, relations between Bangui and Moscow have grown tense in recent months.
In August, senior government and military officials revealed that Russia had asked the country to replace Wagner with Moscow’s state-run Africa Corps and demanded cash payments for continued military support.
Officials in CAR have shown reluctance, insisting that Wagner remains more effective on the ground and that the existing minerals-for-services arrangement is preferable.
Wagner has been central to Touadéra’s security and political strength, helping protect his administration and supporting the 2023 constitutional referendum that could allow him to remain in power indefinitely.
The group is also credited with helping prevent rebel forces from advancing on the capital in 2021.
The Central African Republic has been mired in conflict since 2013, when predominantly Muslim rebels seized power and ousted the president.
A peace agreement reached in 2019 later faltered as six out of the 14 armed groups that signed the deal withdrew from it.
The court’s validation of Touadéra’s candidacy came on the same day the UN Security Council extended its peacekeeping mission in the country for another year.
