Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
After Illegally Modifying The 2016 Constitution In 2023 To Scrap The Limitation Of Mandate, The Dec. 28, 2025 Presidential Election In CAR, Was Designed In All Its Forms, To Give President Touadera A Third Term At All Cost. BRDC, An Opposition Bloc For The Defense Of The 2016 Constitution, Boycotted The Election, Though It Only Further Facilitated Things For The Regime.
It was definitely no news that the ‘outgoing’ President of the Central African Republic (CAR), Prof Faustin Archange Touadera , who was the incumbent candidate at the December 28, 2025 presidential election in his country, won the election in the first round by 76.15 %. The provisional result of the election was published by the elections organizing institution in CAR, known as ‘L’Autorite Nationnale des Elections’, ANE. That is, The National Elections Authority. The provisional result was later validated by the Constitutional Council. Then on March 30, 2026, Prof Faustin Archange Touadera, was sworn in for a controversial third mandate or third term as President of CAR.
Meanwhile, the December 28, 2025 presidential election in the Central African Republic was boycotted by an opposition group (republican bloc) in defense of the 2016 Constitution. The 2016 Constitution that President Touadera illegally and forcefully modified, by scraping the limitation that was placed on the mandate of the President of the Republic. President Touadera did that, in order to have the opportunity to hang on to power, by running for a third mandate, as he did at the December 28, 2025 presidential election.
It should be noted that the opposition group, ‘Bloc Republicain pour la Defense de la Constitution de 2016’, BRDC, that is, the Republic Bloc for the Defense of the 2016 Constitution, that campaigned for the boycott of the December 28, 2025 presidential election, was created in 2023 to campaign or to fight against the controversial decision that was taken by President Touadera to illegally modify the 2016 Constitution , to scrap the limitation of the mandate of the President of the Republic, so as to enable him hang on to power.
Principal Opposition Leader
Meanwhile, it should be noted that though the opposition bloc in defense of the 2016 Constitution boycotted the election , a total of six ‘opposition candidates’ took part in the December 28, 2025 presidential election in CAR. However observers agreed that there was only one serious opposition candidate in the election, in the person of ANICET-GEORGES DOLOGUELE of ‘Union pour le Renouveau Centraficain’, URC Party that was created in 2013. It should be noted that Dologuele served as Prime Minister / Minister of Budget during the Presidency of Ange Felix Patasse in the 90s
. Meanwhile, Anicet –Georges Dologuele was actually in his third participation in the presidential election, at the last presidential election that took place on December 28, 2025 in CAR. He first ran in the 2016 presidential election that brought Prof Touadera to power. He ran again in the 2021 presidential election and was again beaten by incumbent candidate, Fausrin Archange Touadera.
Anicet –Georges Deloguele then emerged as the main opposition leader in the Central African Republic. His party and other opposition parties fought in vain in 2022 and 2023, to try to stop President Touadera from modifying the 2016 Constitution, to scrap the limitation of the mandate of the President of the Republic. The 2016 Constitution of CAR that was supported by the United Nations, fixed the mandate of the President of the Republic to five years renewable only once. This meant a maximum of 2 mandates or two terms, which is a total of 10 years.
Division In The Opposition
Meanwhile there was division in the opposition rank in CAR, over the issue of participation in the December 28, 2025 presidential election. The opposition group BRDC, that is, Republican Bloc for the Defense of the 2016 Constitution, was for the boycott of the December 28, 2025 presidential election, arguing that participation would mean the endorsement of the illegal modification of the 2016 Constitution by President Faustin Archange Touadera,.
But though the principal opposition leader in CAR, Anicet – Georges Dologuele and his party, URC, were members of the opposition bloc, BRDC, they were however against the decision to boycott the December 28, 2025 presidential election. He and his party thus finally disassociated themselves from BRDC‘s position for the boycott of the election, and announced their participation in the December 28 presidential election. Bologuele went on to register as a candidate in the December 28 presidential election.
That however put Anicet – Georges Dologuele and his party in a much more difficult position in the presidential election. Dologuele and his URC Party had to battle against the incumbent (President Touadera) and his ruling MCU party, as well as against the campaign for the population to boycott the election, that was mounted by the opposition bloc, BRDC.
HENRI – MARIE DONDRA
As for the other five ‘opposition ‘candidates that participated in the December 28, 2025 presidential election, one of them was Henri –Marie Dondra, who has a rather controversial record in politics. Dondra first created a political party known as “Les Reformateurs’, that is, The Reformers. Then he later abandoned the party and joined the ruling MCU Party of President Touadera, and was appointed Prime Minister / Minister of Budget after the 2021 presidential election. Then in 2023 Dondra resigned from Government. There is still a debate in CAR as to whether he was forced to resigned, or he was the one that decided to resign. Whatever the case, after leaving Government, Dondra created another political party, UNIR, saying that it was a centrist party between the ruling MCU Party and the opposition.
Alleged Plot To Poison The President
In March 2025, Henri –Marie Dondra’s two brothers were arrested, for an alleged plot to poison the President of the Republic (Touadera), and some of his close collaborators. The former Prime Minister, Henri Marie Dondra, who himself was not arrested, dismissed the alleged plot by two of his brothers to poison the President of the Republic, as a fabrication or fake news, mounted by the regime. He said it was part of the regime’s strategy to kill democracy in the Central African Republic, by painting political opponents as devils.
The regime and supporters on their part accused Henri – Marie Dondra of being sponsored by the enemy, generally understood in CAR to be a reference to France. Meanwhile, a debate is also still ranging in CAR, as to whether Henri –Marie Dondra is a real opposition. Some think he is now a real opposition, some think he rather has a personal problem with President Touadera, and that both of them have dragged i politics into their personal issue. Some people also think there is a secret game that President Touadera and his former Prime Minister (Dondra) are playing, and that the game is apparently to permit Dondra to be able to penetrate the opposition in CAR, and take over the leadership for the interest of the regime.
The Other Four ‘Opposition’ Candidates
The other four ‘opposition’ candidates in the December 28, 2025 presidential election in the Central African Republic were from the very beginning considered by political observers as light weights in politics, with some also considered as opportunists or even jokers. In CAR, an allegation also floated that some, or all of these four presidential candidates, were sponsored as ‘opposition candidates’ by the regime, especially as there was a campaign by the Republic Bloc for the Defense of the 2016 Constitution, for the entire opposition to boycott the December 28, 2025 presidential election.
Meanwhile, one of the four other candidates was SERGE DJORIE, the President of ‘Colletif d’Alternance pour une Nouvelle Centrafrique’ (CAPNCA), which was created in 2015. Serge Djorie was in his second participation in a presidential election in CAR. His first participation was in 2021, where he got the humiliating score of 0.5 %. He however struck a deal with President Faustin Archange Touadera, who appointed him into Government as Minister of Communication and Media, and Government Spokesperson. Djorie was dropped from Government in January 2024.
There was also ARISTIDE BRIAND REBOAS, the leader of ‘Parti Chretien Democrate’ (PCD). Like Serge Djorie of CAPNCA, Aristide Briand Reboas of PCD was a candidate at the 2021 presidential election, and also recorded a humiliating score of 0.41 %. He was also appointed I into Government by President Touadera as Minster of Youths and Sports. He too was dropped from Government in January 2024.
The remaining two other candidates were EDDY SYMPHORIEN KPAREKOU, the leader of’ Parti d’Unite et de Reconstuction ‘ (PUR), and MARCELLIN YALAMEDE, an Evangelical Pastor, who is also into the transport business. He was the only independent candidate. The evangelical pastor said he wants to harmonize politics and spirituality.
Opposition Leader Says The Election Was An “Electoral Masquerade”
Meanwhile, after the December 28, 2025 presidential election, the opposition leader Anicet – Georges Dologuele, who was considered by many as the only real opposition candidate in the election, dismissed the entire electoral process in general, and the election campaign and voting in particular, as “MASQUERADE ELECTORALE”, that is, “ELECTORAL MASQUERADE” . The opposition leader said for example that the election organizing body set up by the Government, that is, “L’Autorite Nationae des Elections”, ANE, National Election Authority, was both “partial and incompetent”. That ANE flagrantly exhibited partiality in favour of the ruling party and its candidate. He also denounced the authoritarian manner in which administrative or government authorities, flagrantly interfered with impunity in the electoral process, especially during the election campaign as well as on the polling day, in favour of the incumbent, (Prof Faustin Touadera of the ruling MCU Party.
However, what was certain was that the opposition bloc, in defense of the 2016 Constitution, BRDC, that campaigned for a boycott of the election, had no sympathy for Anicet –Georges Dologuele, as regard the complaint he raised about the entire electoral process.
African Union Observers
The African Union observer mission was the only major team of international observers that were present in the Central African Republic, for the 2025 presidential election. The 32 member team of election observers that was sent by the African Union was headed by Bernard Makuza.
At a press conference in Bangui, the capital of CAR, on December 30, 2025, the African Union team of observers presented their preliminary report on the 2025 presidential election in CAR. In what many observers now see as the tradition of the Africa Union election observers wherever they go, the team of observers declared that some flaws or short comings were noticed both during the election campaign period and election proper (voting), but that the shortcomings were not of the dimension that could affect the outcome or result of the election.
Prof Touadera Sworn In For A Controversial Third Mandate On March 30, 2026.
Suffice to say that Prof Faustin Archange Touadera, was on Monday, March 30, 2026, sworn in for a controversial third mandate as President of the Central African Republic, at a ceremony which held at the stadium in Bangui. The 93 year old Cameroonian President, Paul Biya, who was invited for the ceremony, was represented by Prime Minister Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute.
