Bozize postpones CAR polls
2010-03-30 22:41
Bangui - President Francois Bozize postponed on Tuesday the Central African Republic's presidential and legislative elections scheduled for April 25 to May 16 amid delays in preparations for the vote.
"The Central African Republic's electoral body is convoked on 16 May 2010 for legislative and presidential elections," according to a presidential decree read out on national radio.
The postponement was largely expected by the ruling party, the opposition, the UN and the EU following the delay in preparations for the ballot in this poor African nation.
Bozize, in power since he ousted president Ange-Felix Patasse in 2003, has announced he will run for re-election.
Patasse, who returned from exile last year, and his former prime minister Martin Ziguele are among those who have also declared their interest in running.
After its 1960 independence from France, the country was wracked by three tumultuous decades of misrule, mostly by military governments, until civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade when Patasse was ousted.
