Off the wire
• Hungary plans to create regional center for Chinese medicine  • MEPs demand better civil drone technology for safety, privacy protection  • Urgent: Gold down sharply on rate hike talk  • 1st LD Writethru: Tanzania ruling party's Jhon Magufuli elected president: electoral body  • Novo Nordisk raises annual earnings outlook  • Spanish stock market falls 0.24 pct, closes at 10,397 points  • Roundup: Violence continues between Israel, Palestinians  • Lithuania receives 12 offers for purchase of military vehicles  • Blast wounds 6 policemen in Egypt's Sinai  • Economic, Refugee crises dominate German FM's visit in Athens  
You are here: 　 Home

Central African Republic to hold presidential, parliamentary elections in December

Xinhua, October 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Central African Republic's electoral commission announced Wednesday that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on Dec. 13, with a run-off on Jan. 24, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

A new president and a deputy were elected for the country's National Electoral Authority, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric at Thursday's daily briefing.

The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said "sporadic firing was reported Wednesday in the second district and PK5 location of Bangui, prompting six Muslims to seek temporary shelter at UN premises," said Dujarric.

The mission also intervened and pushed back a small group of Muslims when it entered the Fatima Church area in the sixth district of Bangui, he said.

"Reportedly, two houses were burnt and four individuals were killed by unknown perpetrators," he said. "The mission reports that following the incident, civilians started fleeing the area."

MINUSCA remained on high alert and a Joint Task Force and Quick Reaction Force was immediately dispatched to the sixth district to be positioned between the opposing groups, he said.

Patrolling has been intensified and protection in front of MINUSCA installations has also been reinforced, he added.

In lights of a recent upsurge in violence and instability in the country, the UN Security Council has repeatedly called for free and fair constitutional referendum and presidential and legislative elections by the end of 2015. Enditem