Central African Republic’s President Faustin-Archange Touadera has announced his candidacy for a third term in the December 2025 presidential election, seeking to extend his rule into a second decade after scrapping term limits in 2023.
The 68-year-old president made the announcement at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui, saying, “Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025.”
Touadera has been in power since 2016, enlisting outside forces, including mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner militia, to stay in power amid a persistent civil conflict.
The country, despite being rich in resources, remains deeply impoverished and has witnessed waves of instability since independence from France in 1960.
The opposition and civil society groups have expressed concerns that the new constitution could allow Touadera to stay in power for life.
