On Sunday, December 27, during the presidential and legislative elections in the Central African Republic, the pressure exerted by the CPC for more than a week raised a coalition of armed groups determined to block the vote, fearing the worst. Finally, the results are very mixed: overview.
as reported from Bangui, Charlotte Cosset, and our Special Correspondent in Bangui, Florence morice
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, a few shots rang in Bangui. But they did not prevent voters in the capital from getting to the polls early in the morning. Many voters say they have come to say “no” to the takeover by force, despite some malfunctions in places: delays in the opening, lack of ballot papers or problems with electoral rolls.
For the rest, it was difficult on Sunday evening to have an exhaustive and accurate overview of the areas where the vote could not be held. An estimate from ANE, the authority responsible for the election, already gives an indication: 800 polling stations did not open in the country at all out of a total of 5,400 or about 15%. However, according to an official evaluation by the polling security committee that leaked at the end of the day, the vote could not be held in a third of the sub-prefectures.
This is the case, for example, in Bouar, where loud shots heard since the morning created psychosis. The result: neither the members of the offices nor the voters came. Central Africans were also unable to vote in Bossangoa, the stronghold of former President François Bozizé, where election agents had been threatened with retaliation.
In other localities, the vote was partial. In Bambari, Minusca demanded that the vote start in some offices in the afternoon, only in certain offices.
Finally, we can quote Carnot. At this location, voters went as far as they could to the ballot box, but at the end of the day, members of the 3R armed group searched the ballot papers in their path.
Counts in the light of torches
In the capital, counting ballot papers can also be a complicated exercise. Charlotte Cosset found it in a center where the counting continued until late in the evening. The observers are very conscientious. Bulletins are carefully reviewed and debated when there is a dispute. The accounts are performed when and when. But in the end, they are not good.
Laure Edwige Beninga, observer of Arc en Ciel Network, explains: “In the beginning it went well. But at one point, there was a problem counting. Therefore, the president (office) judged better that we repeat the count to get an accurate result. “
Finally, the accounts fall right. But you still have to fill out several documents in the dark using a few flashlights. A complicated task to manage. Arnaud Banakean, who is in charge of this polling station, measures the work done and what still needs to be done: “We have just finished counting the presidential election. We prepare all envelopes to be sent to the institutions. It’s a little complicated. You need to do this with a clear head so as not to make a mistake. “
8.30am Sunday: The counting process for the presidential election is over. Witnesses from the vote, discouraged, left. The team then tackles the opening of the legislative ballot.
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