Central African Republic general election, 2011

General elections were held in the Central African Republic on 23 January 2011 to elect the President and National Assembly, having been postponed numerous times. Incumbent President François Bozizé was re-elected for a second term in the first round of voting, receiving 66% of the vote. The organization of the elections was plagued by difficulties, and the opposition repeatedly demanded its postponement. Ultimately it was delayed until January 2011, requiring an extension of the terms of both the President and the National Assembly.

The second round of the parliamentary elections was held on 27 March 2011, after being postponed from 20 March. The National Convergence "Kwa Na Kwa" remained the largest party in the National Assembly, winning 61 of the 100 seats.

The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) was established in August 2009 to oversee the elections. Headed by Joseph Binguimale, the CEI was composed of 30 members, 15 of whom represented the opposition (both the civilian opposition and former rebel groups). However, the opposition announced on 15 January 2010 that it was suspending its participation on the CEI due to its objections to Binguimale's leadership of the body. According to the opposition, Binguimale showed blatant favoritism toward President Bozizé and the pro-Bozizé National Convergence "Kwa Na Kwa" party, and it demanded Binguimale's resignation. Opposition leader Jean-Jacques Demafouth denounced Binguimale, saying that he was guilty of "breaching his oath, a total absence of independence, scheming with the aim of promoting massive fraud, dubious morality and notorious incompetence". CEI spokesman Rigobert Vondo said that the CEI would "continue to make progress on the electoral process with those who are left".

It was initially proposed to hold the elections on 18 April 2010, with a second round on 23 May. However, the opposition objected to that date, saying that it was too early. Subsequently the date of the first round was set for 25 April 2010.

In mid-March 2010, the government claimed to have thwarted a coup plot. Jules Bernard Ouandé, the Minister of National Security, expressed unwillingness to reveal the leader of the coup plot, but his reference to the involvement of someone called "AFP" indicated that the government was implicating Ange-Félix Patassé in the plot. Patasse, who was President from 1993 until he was ousted by Bozizé in March 2003, had declared his candidacy in the election. Responding to the suggestion of his involvement in the plot, Patasse said that he was not involved and argued that the government might be intending to use the allegation to sideline his candidacy. He vowed to win the election, noting that he had previously won elections in 1993 and 1999.

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