President Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic has officially announced his intention to seek a third term in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for December 2025.
The announcement was made during a gathering of his political party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital city of Bangui.
Touadera, who first assumed office in 2016, made his decision public months after the country’s 2023 constitutional referendum, which removed the two-term limit and extended the presidential term from five to seven years.
This legal change cleared the way for him to compete in another election.
The Central African Republic, a nation with an estimated population of 5.5 million, is rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds, and timber.
Despite its wealth in minerals, the country has faced long periods of instability marked by coups, armed uprisings, and political unrest since gaining independence from France in 1960.
The upcoming election comes at a time when the government has recently made progress toward peace. In April, a peace agreement was signed with several armed groups.
Just last week, two of the strongest rebel factions committed to laying down their weapons, marking a rare step forward in efforts to stabilize the country.
Touadera’s second term, which began after the 2020 elections, was challenged by rebel forces under the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), who attempted to dispute the election results.
In response, the national army, with support from UN peacekeepers as well as Russian and Rwandan forces, has continued operations against rebel groups.
Although Touadera has confirmed his candidacy, the exact date for the December vote is yet to be made public.