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CAR elections: MINUSCA’s leadership team visits Data Processing Center

MINUSCA’s leadership paid a visit to the National Elections Authority (ANE) Data Procession Center in Bangui on 17 March 2021 – to check on operations to gather the results of the 14 March legislative vote in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The team – comprising the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Denise Brown, the MINUSCA Force Commander Lieutenant General Daniel S. Traoré, Deputy Head of the Police Component Habi Garba, the Director of Mission Support Emmanuel Agawu and the Director of the Electoral Assistance Division, Arsene Gbaguidi – was taken on a tour of the center, where hundreds of electoral agents are hard at work counting the votes of the CAR parliamentary election.

“We are gradually receiving the results of the elections from the interior of the country thanks to MINUSCA support,” said ANE President Dr. Barthelemy Mathias Morouba.

The MINUSCA Chief outlined that electoral assistance to the Central African Republic is part of the Mission’s priority mandated tasks to support for the holding of free, democratic and transparent elections.  

“We came to find out how the results of the CAR legislative elections are being secured and compiled. We are satisfied with the way the work is being conducted,” noted Mankeur Ndiaye.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General pledged the Mission’s continued material and security support for the planned local elections in November, which he described as “extremely important, especially with regard to ongoing decentralization efforts and as local elections have not been held in the Central African Republic since 1988”.

“We have already started to reflect on what type of electoral support to provide, taking into account the lessons learned from these general elections and while working with partners to mobilize the necessary resources,” he added, while stressing the importance of putting in place measures to also guarantee the participation of Central African refugees.

The MINUSCA Chief lauded the CAR government for its contribution to the implementation of the Integrated Security Plan for the Elections (PISE) through the national armed forces (FACA) and security forces (FSI). “This good cooperation and spirit of mutual trust should continue as we work to refine the electoral process in preparation for the local elections.”

ANE President Matthias Morouba expressed gratitude for the partnership: “We thank MINUSCA, whose invaluable support – financial, technical and logistical – has enabled us to organize the elections. This is an important milestone, that we hope will allow for peace to return.”