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 - Central African
President Franɡois Bozizɣ officially has
been re-elected with 66 percent of the
vote. But the opposition candidates are
now joining forces to file a complaint over
election fraud.

The electoral commission of the Central

African Republic already on Wednesday
announced that incumbent President
Bozizɣ had won the presidential elections
outright in 23 January first round. Mr
Bozizɣ had gained 66.06 percent, or a
total of 607,184 votes in the poll, it was
officially stated.

Despite a very poor voter turnout - only at

54 percent - President Bozizɣ therefore
would not have to face a candidate in a
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run-off election, it was concluded.
Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/afrol News

The opposition had polled poorly at the presidential election. Ex -President Ange-
Fɣlix Patassɣ, who was toppled by general Bozizɣ in a 2003 coup, had only achieved
20.10 percent of the votes, according to the electoral commission. Mr Patass ɣ's former
Prime Minister Martin Ziguɣlɣ came third, with a modest 6.46 percent of the vote.

Soon after the announcement, ex-President Patassɣ told the press that he believed the
results to be manipulated by the electoral commission, which, according to him,
always was favouring President Bozizɣ.

The result, the ex-President claimed, were suspiciously close to the 2005 presidential
elections, in which General Bozizɣ had legitimised his military coup by being elected
in a poll generally described as imperfect.

With the Central African opposition hopelessly split before the elections, the
"suspicious" re-election of President Bozizɣ has served to unite it. Ex-Prime Minister
Ziguɣlɣ yesterday announced he had "reached reconciliation" with Mr Patass ɣ and
that the two opposition leaders would unite to fight the official election result.

The two men now plan to file an official complaint with the Constitutional Court in
Bangui, hoping to document that the poll results were manipulated by the electoral
commission. The Court within two weeks must state whether it confirms or declines
the results presented by the electoral commission.

The Central African government has reacted sourly to the complaints filed by the two
opposition leaders, calling them "bad losers" and holding they were promoting
"selfish interests" instead of the interests of the nation.

Observers give the complaint little chances. There were few observers out to
document possible fraud during the electoral process, and there have so far been very
few credible reports of serious irregularities, despite most people believing they have
happened.

The opposition's poor election results indeed could be a reflection of the popular will.
While President Bozizɣ is neither popular nor able to bring the nation forward, the
alternative could have appeared even worse for Central African voters.

Under the relatively democratic rule of President Patassɣ and PM Ziguɣlɣ, economic
stability and the security situation was even worse than under the current authoritarian
leader. Most Central Africans will remember the Patassɣ era as times of warfare,
strikes and chaos, which inevitably led to a military coup.

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