Opposition slams CAR poll results
2011-02-08 08:37
Bangui - The Central African opposition on Monday slammed as a "masquerade" results of last month's legislative polls which put the party of President Francois Bozize in the lead.
The opposition had also rejected the outcome of the presidential elections which, according to provisional results, Bozize won with just over 66% of the vote.
Official results released Monday indicated that 26 members of Bozize's KnK party were elected outright in the January 23 first round of the legislative polls while the party led in most of the rest of the 105 electoral districts.
Bozize's party appeared on course to win an absolute majority in the National Assembly during the second round scheduled for March 20.
The Knk and its allies controlled 80 of the 105 seats in the previous legislature while opposition parties held 25.
"I don't accept at all these truncated results grossly fabricated by the government to mount its electoral hold-up," said Emile Gros Raymond Nakombo, candidate of the Central African Democratic Rally (RDC), who finished fourth in the presidential contest.
"It is regrettable that our country which has made significant headway in the area of democracy is now giving the image of a country where winning elections is synonymous with fraud."
Martin Ziguele, another presidential candidate who came in third place in the presidential poll, dismissed the legislative results as a "masquerade".
Nakombo slammed what he called "a personalized dictatorship and a family-controlled government which aims to secure an absolute majority in the National Assembly, a future revision of the constitution and to keep Francois Bozize in power."
But government spokesman Fidele Ngouandjika defended the results.
"Bozize was re-elected with nearly 70 percent of the vote. It is perfectly logical that his legislative candidates were elected as well. It is the verdict of the people who want to turn the page of adventure for development, economic recovery and reconstruction."
Bozize won the last presidential election in 2005 with about two-thirds of the vote.
The runner-up in last month's presidential race, former president Ange-Felix Patasse, has denounced the result as fraudulent.
He has vowed to file an appeal with the constitutional court, as two other losing candidates have already said they will do.
