Concerns about irregularities, political interference, and security pressures risk putting the credibility and inclusiveness of key elections in the Central African Republic into question, Human Rights Watch said today. The vote, scheduled for December 28, 2025, will include presidential and parliamentary elections, but also municipal elections for the first time in decades.
"The Central African Republic election will shape the country's political trajectory for years to come," said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Despite tangible progress to establish peace, obstructions to opposition participation, administrative dysfunction, and concerns about a return to repression could disenfranchise large segments of the population.
The elections come after the highly controversial 2023 constitutional referendum, which removed presidential term limits and effectively opened the door for President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to remain in power indefinitely. The official campaign period is slated to start on December 13.
Two of the country's most prominent political figures, former prime ministers Anicet Georges Dologuélé and Henri-Marie Dondra, were barred from entering the race until November 14, when the Constitutional Council decided to allow them to run as candidates for president. This aligned with an apparent pattern of administrative maneuvering that has disproportionately impeded opposition politicians while favoring the ruling United Hearts Party (known by its French acronym, MCU), Human Rights Watch said.
The two politicians are widely viewed as the only credible challengers to Touadéra. "We have effectively been delayed while the MCU has been mobilizing," Dologuélé told Human Rights Watch. Their late admission to the race raises questions about whether voters have been given a genuine choice, Human Rights Watch said.
These developments come amid growing doubts about whether the National Election Authority is prepared to run the election. Supply-chain failures, incomplete voter lists, and insufficiently trained staff for polling places, particularly outside Bangui, the capital, are potential problems.
In Bangui, civil society activists have raised concerns over whether many of the estimated 6,700 polling places will be able to open on time, if at all. Rural voters, already hampered by insecurity and limited transportation, could find themselves effectively excluded. The lack of readiness not only undermines confidence in the process but also raises concerns that turnout figures may become deeply skewed toward the capital.
The government has sought to bolster confidence in elections by signing a series of peace accords with various armed groups. These accords, which skirt around accountability for human rights abuses and potential war crimes committed in the past, have nonetheless created conditions for stability not seen in years. However, several civil society activists, journalists, UN officials, and diplomats question the durability of these peace deals including an agreement signed on November 19 with the Patriotic Movement for the Central African Republic.
Over the past decade, numerous declarations of peace quickly fell apart amid unmet promises of disarmament, political inclusion, or resource sharing. One journalist told Human Rights Watch that, "Armed groups have been bought off to ensure the elections occur. Disarmament has become a racket…. [W]e will most likely see these groups resume attacks once the money runs out … [until] the next round of elections."
Without genuine disarmament efforts, the current agreements will serve more as symbolic gestures reinforcing impunity than as mechanisms for lasting stability, Human Rights Watch said.
The unequal political environment has prompted many opposition parties to call for a full boycott of the elections. Leaders of Republican Bloc for the Defense of the Constitution, an opposition coalition, told Human Rights Watch that they are concerned about the obstruction of candidates, the election authority's administrative deficiencies, and the government monopoly over media and state resources.
This boycott, and the delays experienced by Dologuélé and Dondra, will most likely pave the way for a parliament dominated by the current governing party. A legislature without meaningful opposition oversight risks compromising already weak institutions, Human Rights Watch said. "We need checks on the executive," one politician told Human Rights Watch. "My fear is that these elections, already skewed, are a test of the principles of democratic accountability."
There are also concerns around online xenophobic rhetoric. Dologuélé had to give up his French nationality to run for the presidency as individuals in high offices are not allowed to hold citizenship of another country. Nonetheless, some groups associated with the governing party are circulating statements online about "who is a real Central African," targeting the opposition. Online attacks against opponents of the 2023 constitutional referendum ramped up before that vote.
Dondra told Human Rights Watch that in addition to other constraints, two of his brothers were arrested, and one remains in custody without charge, allegedly for politically motivated reasons.
The elections comes amid a planned reduction of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The mission, which has a mandate to protect civilians and monitor human rights abuses, alongside supporting elections, is expected to scale down its presence partly due to the budget constraints across UN peacekeeping and a desire from some member states to see responsibility transferred to national authorities.
A diminished UN footprint could leave communities, particularly those in conflict-affected regions, exposed to militia coercion and retaliation if the peace accords do not hold. Some diplomats in Bangui told Human Rights Watch that the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa and the International Organization of the Francophonie, which may monitor elections, have not been confirmed one month before the vote and will most likely be unable to conduct any monitoring outside of Bangui.
Despite the concerns, civil society activists and journalists describe some improvements. "Things are better than they were a few years ago, the repression has let up," one journalist told Human Rights Watch. "However, we must remain vigilant. Once it solidifies full control over the parliament and municipal offices, the MCU will control how we discuss government policy, security and development." The authorities should ensure that journalists and activists can continue to do their work freely without fear of reprisals or repression, Human Rights Watch said.
One month out, the government should remove all barriers to opposition participation and guarantee equal access to campaigning and to the media. The authorities should release individuals detained without credible legal basis, including Dondra's brother. International partners should monitor the elections for conformity to international standards, and reductions in peacekeeping forces should be reconsidered if armed groups attack civilians again.
"The Central African Republic stands at crossroads, and credible elections cannot occur when legitimate concerns are unaddressed," Mudge said. "The country's path toward stability depends on inclusive and competitive political processes that reflect the will of all communities, not only those with access to power."
