Provisional results from the presidential election in the Central African Republic have confirmed a surprise early lead for former Prime Minister
Provisional results from the presidential election in the Central African Republic have confirmed a surprise early lead for former Prime Minister Faustin Archange Touadera.
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A former maths teacher as well as a politician, Touadera is considered an outsider by many analysts.
Thirty candidates contested the poll, which is likely to go to a run-off between the top two on 31 January.
Touadera was prime minister in the government of ex-President Francois Bozize, ousted in 2013 by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR has hailed the election as a “success”.
#Centrafrique:Les résultats provisoires du scrutin à Bangui place F.Touadera à la tête https://t.co/POM0aKBvtH #CARcrisis
FranceBangui</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RFI">RFI— RJDH-RCA (@RJDH_RCA) January 2, 2016
#UPDATE Faustin Archange Touadera takes commanding lead in C. Africa presidential race https://t.co/G62WoOH57C pic.twitter.com/ry4DZrW0pY
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 3, 2016