As the citizens of the Central African Republic go to the polls to choose a new president and parliament this weekend, experts differ on whether it is a step toward true democracy.
The landlocked nation, which is seldom noticed on the international scene, has had a violent and troubled past. Since independence from colonial master France in 1960, it has been continuously rocked by political instability.
A series of coups and army mutinies beginning in 1996 enhanced the instability of the country. A civil war ended in 2003, when current President Francois Bozize, a former head of the army, overthrew long-time leader Ange-Felix Patasse.
Bozize promised to bring the country to democratic elections. The vote, although twice delayed, has now been set for Sunday.
Of an initial 15 candidates for the presidency, the list is now down to 11 after some, including Patasse, now exiled in Togo, were disqualified from standing.
The list contains a former president, the current vice-president and several former ministers.
Bozize will stand as an independent candidate, backed by a coalition of political parties and businessmen known as Convergence Kwa Na Kwa (Work, Only Work).
One of the main concerns of the voters is the insecurity plaguing the country. Highway robberies are common, and the so-called Liberators from neighbouring Chad, who helped bring Bozize to power, are reportedly behind some of the attacks.
During the past year, Bozize has deployed soldiers to fight bandits in the northern and north-western provinces as well as along the eastern border with Sudan.
The main challenger to Bozize is widely regarded to be former military leader Andre Kolinga, who ruled the country for a few years in the early 1980s until he allowed multiparty presidential elections and was voted out. When he arrived back from exile in France late last month, he was given a roaring welcome by supporters.
While some analysts believe it will be close to impossible to organise transparent elections in the poorly administered and sparsely populated country, others say that the country is at a crucial stage on its road to democratic governance after so many years of instability.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan late last year confirmed the differing views on the progress of the country, saying in a report that ”while the political and economic fortunes of the Central African Republic are gradually improving, human rights abuses continue and the country’s situation remains precarious”.
The report said most of the human rights abuses have been attributed to either the defence forces or the police; ”however, when the perpetrators are identified, they are punished by the military hierarchy or brought to justice”.
In January this year, the UN Security Council said that it was satisfied that the Central African Republic was moving toward restoring the rule of law and constitutional legality.
In a parallel election to the Parliament, nearly 1 000 candidates will fight for the 105 seats in the National Assembly. — Sapa-DPA