News Analysis: Central African Republic's population hopeful of end of crisis after polls

Three years since the overthrow of Francois Bozize's regime by ex-Seleka rebels, voters in the Central African Republic lined up on Wednesday to elect a new president and members of parliament, expressing hope the elections will end incessant violence and restore constitutional order.

The elections in which 30 candidates contested for the presidency, while 1,790 others contested for the 140 parliamentary seats, were initially supposed to take place on Dec. 27, but were postponed by three days due to numerous logistical challenges.

Of the country's 4.6 million people, 1.9 million registered to vote in the 5,996 polling stations spread in the country's 16 prefectures.

The elections were generally considered peaceful after the leader of the Patriotic Front for Resistance in Central African Republic (FPRC) Nourredine Adam announced a "total ceasefire" to allow for the holding of the elections.

From early morning on Wednesday, hundreds of voters were seen queuing in front of polling stations in Bangui, with the hope of electing a new president who will help them forget this sad chapter in their country's history which gave way for a delicate transition that is today led by Catherine Samba-Panza, following the 2014 ouster of Seleka leader Michel Djotodia.

Many of them termed the moment as historic. "These elections have given me an opportunity to elect someone I believe is capable of leading this country," Alain Mwamokobe, a 20-year old first time voter told Xinhua in Bangui.

As for Ida Ndoumbe, a middle-aged lady who was voting for the sixth time in her life, "the elections gave her an opportunity to vote so that peace can return to Central African Republic."

It is the greatest challenge facing the future leader of this country out of the 30 presidential candidates, she affirmed.

"For me, the main concern after these elections is that we will be liberated because we have suffered a lot. I expect the future president to restore peace and security in the country," added Desire Nzapakette, a civil servant who voted in Bangui.

NEED TO NEUTRALIZE ARMED GROUPS

Central African Republic has continued to experience sectarian violence caused by rebel and militia groups such as FPRC and Ugandan rebel group, Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony in the southeast parts of the country.

The violence has persisted despite the 2014 deployment of UN peacekeeping force (MINUSCA).

No efforts have been made to execute a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program for a huge quantity of weapons that move in the country which is one of the poorest in the world.

Experts believe it is difficult in current circumstances to think that elections only will bring an end to the crisis.

"although the elections will help to bring some relative calm, they will not address the challenges facing the country's defense and security sectors, because the security apparatus were largely destroyed," Cameroonian Political Scientist Mathias Eric Owona Nguini told Xinhua.

He noted that it will be "an immense reconstruction work" that will occupy the future president and his government, whose success will be based on their capacity to neutralize different armed groups that have hindered the normalization process.

"The crisis has also led to the collapse of Central African Republic's economy, besides weakening an already fragile social fabric. Reconstruction will not be easy," the Political Science lecturer at Yaounde II University warned.

Unfortunately, Dr. Nguini noted, the transition was so short and could not resolve problems related to inter-cultural tolerance.

The situation did not allow over 450,000 Central African Republic's refugees living in neighbouring countries, with half of them in Cameroon, to return to their homes.

The figure is higher than the 235,642 who were registered in January 2014. On the other hand, the number of internally displaced persons has reduced from 825,000 in 2014 to 469,307.

Elsewhere, the United Nations notes that due to the crisis, about 2.7 million people in Central African Republic, equivalent to half of the population, are in need of food and humanitarian assistance.

DEPENDENCE ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

"The country will remain dependent on the international community, which will maintain peacekeepers to closely monitor the current transition," the university lecturer said.

His position is corroborated by an analysis of several military trucks and equipments belonging to MINUSCA which were recently cleared at the Douala port in Cameroon, destined for Bangui.

It will be recalled that early this year, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution proposed by France, extending MINUSCA's term while also expanding France's influence in the Central African Republic both on economic and security fronts.

"In this regard, France will try to shape the transition in its favour. This role has already been seen in the supposed or real support to one or two of the favourite presidential candidates," Nguini affirmed.

The two include Anicet Dologuele, a renown economist and banker who has worked at the Development Bank of Central African States based in the Republic of Congo and Martin Ziguele, a veteran politician. They both served in the position of prime minister in previous regimes.

Central African Republic was plunged in violence and chaos after a March 2013 coup that was led by ex-Seleka rebels, following three months confrontation with the regime of Francois Bozize.

Bozize had himself overthrown Ange-Felix Patasse ten years earlier, so far the only democratically elected president in this poor and landlocked country. Endit