Central Africa Republic President Touadera confirms third-term bid

Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Saturday he will run for a third term later this year.

"Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025," the 68-year-old said at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui.

"We will continue the work of rebuilding our country."

A constitutional referendum held in 2023 abolished two-term limit and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Touadera rose to power in 2016.

Coups and rebellions

Central African Republic has a population of around 5.5 million and is rich in resources including gold, diamonds and timber.

It has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions, since independence from France in 1960. Last week, two of the most powerful armed groups in the country agreed to lay down arms following a peace deal with the government that was signed in April.

Touadera won a second term in 2020, though rebel groups including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) have fought to overturn that result.

The army, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and Russian and Rwandan troops, has been fighting the group for years.

The exact date of the December vote has not been announced.