Over 30 aspirants have already declared their plans to run for the job of President.
The political climate in the Central African Republic is witnessing more hustling and bustling as different actors get set for the October 18, 2015 presidential and legislative elections and a subsequent second round on November 22, 2015. Certainty about the holding of the elections justified by the registration operation into the electoral register is probably the encouraging factor and catalyst in the process that will end the transitional period that has been headed by President Catherine Samba-Panza.
Prophetess Valentine Modamet of the Christian organization called “Les Parvis “is the first woman to declare her candidature for the October polls, news agency reports say. She declared her intention to run for the presidency during a press conference on July 28, 2015 in the headquarters of the Organisation for the Women of the Central African Republic (OFCA) in the capital, Bangui. Valentine Modamet reportedly explained that her decision was in respect of her prayer to God and her intention is to fight stubbornness and intolerance from men whom she claimed lead chaos without doing anything concrete. She reportedly said it was her intention to govern the Central African Republic following biblical prescriptions in order to send away demons and other bad spirits that have been manipulating leaders. With the candidature of Valentine Modamet, some 30 people have so far indicated their intention to run for the presidency in the October 18 polls.
The National Elections Authority, the elections organizing body on its part is leaving no stone unturned to ensure success and hitch-free legislative and presidential elections come October. Transition President, Catherine Samba-Panza officially launched the registration exercise in the capital Bangui on June 29, 2015. After two extensions, the body finally wrapped off registration process into the electoral registers on July 27, 2015. What remains now is cleaning the data got from the field in order to come up with a viable electoral roll. The elections authority will see how to register refugees found in neighbouring countries considering that the Constitutional Court has ruled that they also have to take part in the elections. Reports say that of the 460,000 refugees, over 190,000 of them are eligible.
Different development partners have been expressing their support for the holding of the polls. French Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian on a recent visit to the capital Bangui, expressed confidence as to the holding of the elections citing the registration operation and the fact that refugees were also to participate.
