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History and Government
History: Prior to French colonisation of central Africa around the 1880s, many tribes fled to the area in order to escape the slave trade. In 1910 the area known as Ubangi-Chari became incorporated into French Equatorial Africa and turned over to a number of concessionaires who ran their separate fiefdoms as commercial operations with little or no regard for the indigenous people. A number of unsuccessful revolts were launched against the concessionaires until, immediately after World War II, the territory was granted its own assembly and representation in the French National Assembly. Internal self-government followed in 1958 with the leading nationalist politician, Barthélemy Boganda, serving as Prime Minister. Boganda died the following year and it was left to his nephew, David Dacko, to steer the country to full independence in 1960. Following the common practice of the day, Dacko established a one-party state. However, in 1965, with the country facing bankruptcy and political chaos, Dacko was overthrown by army chief Jean-Bedel Bokassa.
The already imporished country was further damaged by the disastrous and profligate rule of the self-styled ‘Emperor’ Bokassa. (His 1977 ‘coronation’ alone is estimated to have used up over a quarter of the country’s annual income. The country was renamed the ‘Central African Empire’.) And despite his well-documented abuses, Bokassa was consistently tolerated by the French who continued to wield huge influence over the country.
Bokassa was finally deposed in 1979 by Dacko and exiled to France. (He returned unexpectedly in 1986 and, after trial, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.) The country now reverted to its original title but experienced little improvement in its fortunes. The two dominant figures in the country’s recent history have been André Kolingba, another former army commander who took over after ousting Dacko in a 1981 military coup, and Ange-Félix Patassé, who later emerged as Kolingba’s principal opponent. During the 1980s, Kolingba consolidated his rule as leader of the country’s sole legal political party, Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain (RDC). In the early 1990s, as democracy swept through Francophone Africa, violent domestic protests and heavy French pressure forced Kolingba to concede the introduction of a multi-party system.
Patassé won the first election held under the new democratic constitution in 1993, defeating both Kolingba and Dacko. In December 1998, elections to the National Assembly returned the MLPC as the largest party but short of an absolute majority. In September the following year, Patassé and Kolingba once again competed for the Presidency, and again Patassé won a comfortable victory. The last few years have seen a series of mutinies by army units – mainly protesting over unpaid wages – culminating in May 2001 in an attempted coup orchestrated by Kolingba (backed by units from the Congolese army). After a week of fighting, the Government regained control with the support of troops from Chad and Libya. The presence of the latter confirmed the diminishing influence of the French who, although still providing vital economic and political support, have withdrawn their former garrisons at Bangui and Bouar.
Government: The President, who is Head of State and is elected for a six-year term, holds executive power. Legislative power rests with the Congress which has three components: the 85-member National Assembly, directly elected for five years; the Economic and Regional Council, half of whose members are elected by the Assembly and the remainder appointed by the President; and an advisory State Council.
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