CAR braces for referendum that may extend President Touadera’s rule

Wagner troops pictured in the CAR capital, Bangui, as part of the presidential security system during the referendum campaign earlier in July [Leger Kokpakpa/Reuters]

The Central African Republic (CAR) will hold on Sunday a contested constitutional referendum that could allow President Faustin-Archange Touadera to extend his rule.

Voters will be asked to decide on whether to scrap the existing two-term presidential limit and effectively allow Touadera to run for a third time in 2025. Opposition parties have called for a boycott of the vote.