CAR legislative elections 2021: DSRSG visits Data Processing Center

27 May 2021

CAR legislative elections 2021: DSRSG visits Data Processing Center

MARIA KABATANYA

The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Central African Republic (CAR), Denise Brown, paid a visit to the Data Processing Centre in Bangui on 26 May 2021, to assess progress on the processing of election results from the second round of legislative polls held on 23 May 2021. Voting was organized in areas where elections could not be previously held due to technical and security concerns.

She was received by the President of the National Elections Authority (ANE), Barthelemy Mathias Morouba, who provided an update on efforts to count the votes: “With the support of MINUSCA, we have kept our promise to hold elections in all 50 constituencies. We’re in the process of counting the votes and compiling the results. We’ll gradually publish the results as they come in.”

“Eight constituencies are yet to deliver their results to Bangui. Efforts are underway to transport all the results from the prefectures, with the support of MINUSCA,” he added.

The ANE president expressed relief that election day had passed without incident. He thanked MINUSCA for its logistical support and said that the presence of UN peacekeepers in the field had helped maintain security. 

Denise Brown reaffirmed the Mission’s partnership with the CAR government and support for the democratic process. She stressed that MINUSCA is obliged to support the electoral process in the Central African Republic, as mandated by the UN Security Council.

On behalf of the UN system, Denise Brown expressed admiration and respect for the commitment of the Central African people: “Despite the conflict which affected the country last December and the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the population turned out in huge numbers to vote and make their voices heard.”

Looking ahead to the planned local elections, ANE president Mathias Morouba declared that “the election process does not end here. Local elections have not been held in the CAR for 30 years. It’s yet another opportunity for Central Africans to choose their leaders by way of the electoral process.”

Similarly, Denise Brown hoped for “the same kind of enthusiasm for the planned local elections”.

The ANE has eight days from the date of the election to announce the provisional results.