Central African President submits candidacy for re-election

Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera. [AFP]

Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera on Thursday officially submitted his candidacy for elections later this year that he is tipped to win.

His file was handed over at the headquarters of the National Election Authority (ANE) in the capital, Bangui, by the secretary general of his ruling United Hearts Movement, an AFP reporter said.

Speaking to reporters, Touadera said, "The people absolutely wanted reassurance that my candidacy file would be submitted today.

"We have fulfilled a constitutional requirement within the framework of democracy in our country," he added.

Presidential, parliamentary, regional and local elections are all due to be held on December 28. The deadline for candidacies is October 11.

The Central African Republic has seen a succession of conflicts since independence from France in 1960, and despite a gradual decrease in the intensity of violence, the security situation remains volatile, especially on main roads and in the east of the country bordering Sudan and South Sudan.

Touadera, who was first elected in 2016, is seeking a third term but his opponents accuse him of wanting to be president for life.

A new constitution was passed in a referendum in 2023, which allows him to seek another term.