President Faustin-Archange Touadera has won a third term in office in the Central African Republic, according to provisional results released by the National Electoral Authority.
Touadera secured 76.15 percent of the vote in last month’s election, the authority said.
He was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 with 53.16 percent of the vote in the first round.
The vote followed a constitutional referendum in 2023 that removed presidential term limits and extended the length of the mandate to seven years, allowing Touadera to run for a third term.
The 68-year-old former mathematics professor campaigned on what he described as improvements in security.
International observers, including the African Union and the MINUSCA, described polling day as largely peaceful, despite continued insecurity in parts of the east.
However, the main opposition coalition, the Republican Bloc for the Defence of the Constitution, boycotted the election, calling it unfair.
Several candidates who did take part, including former prime ministers Anicet-Georges Dologuele and Henri-Marie Dondra, accused authorities of imposing campaign restrictions, including limits on travel to provincial areas.
The Constitutional Court has until 20 January to validate the results or rule on any challenges.
