/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/4YU7AE22WRPHHHYR5PY3EA5E5U.jpg)
BANGUI, Jan 4 (Reuters) – President Faustin-Archange Touadera won the presidential elections in the Central African Republic on December 27 with more than 53% of the vote in the first round, according to preliminary results announced by the Electoral Commission on Monday .
“Faustin-Archange Touadera, who received an absolute majority of the votes in the first ballot with 53.9%, is declared the winner,” said Mathias Morouba, President of the Electoral Commission, at a press conference in the capital Bangui.
The election was marred by a coordinated offensive by rebel groups trying to disrupt voting after former President Francois Bozizé’s candidacy was rejected by the country’s highest court.
Attacks and the destruction of voting materials, including on election day, prevented voting in several cities.
Morouba said about half of the country’s voters, around 910,000 people, had registered to vote and turnout among registered voters was 76.3%.
Reporting by Antoine Rolland, text by Bate Felix, editing by Franklin Paul
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
“Coffeeaholic. Lifelong alcohol fanatic. Typical travel expert. Prone to fits of apathy. Internet trailblazer.”