The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Central African Republic (CAR), Denise Brown, visited the National Elections Authority Data Processing Centre in Bangui on 29 December, to assess the progress of continuing electoral activities in the wake of the 27 December general elections.

The visit comes two days after Central Africans went to the polls in the country's 2020/2021 presidential and legislative elections. “We have been invited here today by the National Elections Authority (ANE) to assess the mechanisms put in place for the processing of election results, including measures to ensure transparency,” said Denise Brown.

 “This is the nerve centre for all electoral data. We check the consistency of the results and store them digitally,” explained Huguette Kouagou Ndindy, the Director of the Data Processing Centre. On site, several teams of about 390 data entry operators are taking turns, 24 hours a day, to process polling station results as they come in from across the country. The centre is under round-the-clock surveillance, and security is being additionally provided by the Central African and MINSUCA forces.

"The CAR Electoral Code calls on us to announce the provisional election results within eight days after the election,” said the new ANE President, Matthias Barthelemy Morouba. He described the tabulation process as “intense work” while expressing disappointment that representatives of political parties and candidates had so far been absent from the centre. “I invite the candidates’ representatives to come and witness the process – as is their right. We need their presence here to verify that things are being done in a transparent manner.”

He lauded MINUSCA’s support to the ANE in the management of the elections: “MINUSCA has been a front-line partner and continues to be at the heart of securing the electoral operation.”

Denise Brown emphasized that the UN Mission is mandated to assist with the electoral process, and that MINUSCA is implementing the Integrated Security Plan for the Elections (PISE) together with the national authorities to ensure that “all the electoral materials arrive at the centre and are secured so that electoral officials can conduct their work properly” and so that the democratic gains that the CAR people have fought for through voting are protected.

She further congratulated the CAR people on their determination “to say yes to democracy, yes to peace on election day”.

More election results are expected to be brought to the centre for processing from the provinces over the coming days – with the assistance of MINUSCA air and road transport.
Initial election results are expected to be released on 30 December, according to ANE estimations. The provisional results will be announced by 4 January 2021.