Can military strongmen bring lasting democracy to an impoverished Central African country long blighted by coups, army mutinies and decades of corrupt rule?
That's the question voters in Central African Republic are considering as they head to the polls today for the first presidential elections since rebels seized the capital two years ago and installed their headman as leader.
The former army officer turned insurgent who now presides over the country, General Francois Bozize, is making good on promises to arrange elections and is considered a front-runner in a field of 11.
PHOTO: AFP
Some citizens say a ballot cast for Bozize -- whose campaign slogan is "Bozize, the man for peace" -- is a vote to continue the limited stability he has brought to the country. But others say democracy can't flourish under the gun.
"We are tired of military rulers in this country. Bozize should stay away," said Jean Gambo, a 40-year-old mechanic in the capital, Bangui.
"He should not use this vote to legitimize his seizure of power," he said.
Others, however, think that peace and stability can only be preserved by men of military stock in a country has weathered ten coups or attempted rebellions since independence from France in 1960.
"There will be no real democracy without peace and security in the country ... the only person who can bring peace is a soldier," said Joel Goze, a 33-year-old teacher, who plans to vote for Bozize.
Politics in Central African Republic, population 3.6 million, is a clubby affair.
Bozize's fighters took Bangui in March 2003 as ex-President Ange-Felix Patasse traveled overseas. Patasse first gained power in elections in 1993 from former 12-year strongman Andre Kolingba, who took power in a coup and jailed Bozize -- a move which helped prompt Bozize to take up arms against the Bangui-based government.
Kolingba returned to the country in recent months and is now considered Bozize's main rival in the race in the field of 11. Patasse, living in exile, has been barred from competing.
Central African Republic's next leader faces a deeply impoverished country. Inflation and unemployment have soared -- more than 40 percent are jobless in the capital.
After years of fighting, security is a main issue in the campaign. When Bozize seized the capital, ending his armed campaign, a tenuous calm took hold in the countryside. Some say the best way to keep the peace is to legitimize Bozize's rule by the ballot.
Citizens are also hopeful that Central African Republic's can end decades of corruption.
Many of Central African Republic's leaders have been accused of corrupt rule, although perhaps none so blatantly as alleged cannibal Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who emptied state coffers in 1977 to buy a golden throne for a ceremony in which he crowned himself the country's emperor.
Central African Republic's 1.8 million voters hope to shed that past today, when they head to 4,500 polling stations nationwide. Results aren't expected for at least 10 days after the election.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the