Detained at the Africa-Russia summit, which was held on Thursday July 27 and Friday July 28 in Saint-Petersburg, Faustin Archange Touadéra did not return in time to host a final campaign meeting. But on the eve of Sunday’s constitutional referendum which should allow the Central African president to run for as many terms as he wishes, his face is omnipresent in Bangui: on T-shirts, banners. The power wants to transform the vote into a plebiscite for the head of state. “I would like the president to stay because he brought stability,” said Arnaud Christian Zameto, one of his supporters, “I vote yes” cap screwed on his head. If we have to change the Constitution to have peace, we are ready for it. »
In the streets, no poster defends the no. “People are too scared to oppose this coup,” said a resident of the Brussels district who prefers to remain anonymous. Earlier this week, the spokesperson for one of the main opposition parties was arrested, then released a few hours later. Others see it rather as an expression of deep disinterest.
Among the population, few have read the text, published just ten days before the vote and amended less than a week later. “There is no suspense, judge, bitter, diplomatic source. The challenge is that in front of the cameras everything goes well in Bangui. »
Strengthened powers for the president
Evariste Ngamana, the vice-president of the National Assembly and campaign manager for the new Constitution, is indeed very optimistic: “We know that the yes will win, but we are emphasizing participation. This is the main issue of the ballot, because most of the opposition calls for a boycott. Its executives say ballot box stuffing is underway to keep that figure high.
“This referendum is illegal because it goes against the decision of the Constitutional Court,” said Martin Ziguélé, president of the opposition Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC). On September 23, 2022, the Court invalidated the committee responsible for drafting a new Constitution. After a standoff, its president, Danièle Darlan, had been removed from office before the process resumed.
One provision of the new Basic Law crystallizes the tensions: the removal of presidential term limits. “This is the sole purpose of this constitutional reform, continues Martin Ziguélé. President Touadéra wants to stay in power ad vitam æternam, like Emperor Bokassa before him. “The non-limitation of mandates ensures the stability of institutions. Nothing says that the Head of State will stand in the next elections, ”answers Evariste Nagamana.
The new Constitution also strengthens the powers of the executive. It creates a post of vice-president, provides that the head of state now appoints the majority of the members of the Constitutional Council. Parliament’s control over mining contracts is also abolished. “It is a question of accelerating long tedious procedures, because the urgency is for the development of the country”, explains Héritier Doneng, chief of staff to the Minister of Youth and Sports, a long-time supporter of the change of the Constitution. The opposition sees it rather as a way to further obscure procurement in this decisive sector.
The shadow of the Russians
Finally, a first version of the new text tightened the conditions for access to elective office by imposing the requirement to be born of Central African parents, themselves Central Africans. These terms have aroused anger, particularly within the Muslim community, some of which have settled more recently in the territory. “It can be a problem, concedes Héritier Doneng, but the Constitution remains modifiable. The main thing is to go and vote, the rest, we’ll see later! Three days before the election, the Basic Law has indeed been modified: only one generation of Central African parents will finally be required.
The referendum is organized on own funds, without the support of the United Nations or Western chancelleries which, despite criticism, have not openly condemned the process. “Third terms have unfortunately become the norm in Africa,” sighed one diplomat. The United States merely called for a “transparent, free and fair” ballot. Washington and Paris hope that by releasing the pressure on Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the latter will agree to negotiate the departure of the paramilitaries of the Wagner Group from his country, deployed since 2018 and whose number is estimated at 2,000, even if the regime does not at no time seemed to want to break this partnership.
On the contrary, the men of Prigojine are also publicly involved in the organization of the ballot. They secure operations, transport equipment and the campaign team. Dimitri Sytyi, one of the heads of the group’s civil and commercial operations in the Central African Republic, even poses for a photo with campaign officials, including the Minister of Justice Arnaud Djoubaye Abazène and the first vice-president of the National Assembly Evariste Ngamana, leaving to supervise operations in the east of the country. “You see Russians everywhere,” Mr. Ngamana retorts. We are a sovereign people with savvy and please have some consideration for us. »
“Westerners tend to underestimate the Central African political class, observes John Lechner, researcher and journalist specializing in the country. Rather, Wagner and the government found a point of common interest here. The narrative of the government held hostage by the Russians absolves power of responsibility and is inaccurate. President Touadéra is not naive and he knows very well what he is doing. »
A decade earlier, his predecessor François Bozizé had tried to have a new constitution adopted to run for a third term before being overthrown the following year by the Seleka rebels. Faustin Archange Touadéra seems well on his way to winning his bet.
