Central African Republic holds long-awaited elections

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Wednesday 30 Dec 2015 - 16:11 Makkah mean time-19-3-1437 CAR holds elections (Image: BBC News) Bangui (IINA) – Polls have opened in the Central African Republic in key presidential and parliamentary elections, which people hope will usher in stability after years of sectarian bloodshed, Al Jazeera News channel reported. Snaking queues had formed outside polling stations in the capital Bangui early on Wednesday morning, but many of them had yet to open two hours later. Among the areas affected by the delays was the flashpoint PK-5 district of the capital Bangui, where ballot papers and voters' lists had yet to arrive at some polling stations. The presidential and parliamentary vote has been delayed several times, with the latest date set for December 27 pushed back again by three days to allow officials deal with technical and organisational difficulties. "This time, everything will be fine throughout Central African Republic," said Julius Rufin Ngoadebaba, spokesman for the National Electoral Authority, rejecting allegations that illegal voter cards had been distributed. Thirty candidates are competing for the presidency, with some of the frontrunners including former prime ministers Martin Ziguele and Anicet Georges Dologuele. More than 1.8 million people are expected to vote, at more than 500 polling stations across the country, which has been ruled since May 2014 by interim President Catherine Samba-Panza. AB/IINA