Prime Minister of the Central African Republic | |
---|---|
Premier Ministre de la République Centrafricaine (French) | |
Seat | Bangui |
Appointer | Faustin-Archange Touadéra, as President of the Central African Republic |
Inaugural holder | David Dacko |
Formation | 13 August 1960 |
Central African Republicportal |
This article lists the heads of government of the Central African Republic. There have been twenty-five heads of government of the Central African Republic and the Central African Empire. The office of Prime Minister, the head of government, was created when the Central African Republic became an autonomous territory of France in December 1958. It was originally the highest post of the Central African Republic, though France did maintain a governor in the territory. After the Central African Republic declared its independence and became a republic on 13 August 1960, David Dacko held both the Prime Minister and newly created President of the Central African Republic posts briefly before eliminating the Prime Minister position and placing all executive power in the office of the President.
President Jean-Bédel Bokassa restored the office of Prime Minister to assist him in governing the country in 1975, shortly before he declared himself Emperor. He selected as prime minister Elisabeth Domitien, who become Africa's first female head of government. After Domitien was removed from office, Bokassa named Ange-Félix Patassé to become his next prime minister. Patassé continued serving as prime minister after Bokassa declared the establishment of the Central African Empire in December 1976. Henri Maïdou succeeded Patassé and continued serving as prime minister after Bokassa was overthrown from power. During the following two years of Dacko's presidency, three more politicians served as prime minister. The post was abolished when Dacko was overthrown from the presidency by Andre Kolingba on 1 September 1981. The position, as it exists today, was recreated in 1991, when President Kolingba was forced to relinquish some of the executive power. The President has the authority to name the Prime Minister and can remove them from office at any time. The Prime Minister is the head of the government; within days of being appointed, they must select individuals for their Cabinet, who they will work with to coordinate the government.
According to a ceasefire agreement signed between the government and the Séléka rebel coalition on 11 January 2013, President François Bozizé was required to appoint a new Prime Minister from the political opposition after the National Assembly of the Central African Republic is dissolved and legislative elections are held. According to the agreement, this will happen on 11 January 2014 at the latest. [1] Nicolas Tiangaye, who was selected as prime minister by the opposition and rebels, was appointed as prime minister on 17 January 2013. [2]
The current Prime Minister of the Central African Republic is Félix Moloua, since 7 February 2022. [3]
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political affiliations | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
Central African Republic (1958–1960; autonomous within the French Community ) | ||||||||
1 | Barthélemy Boganda (1910–1959) | 8 December 1958 [A] | 29 March 1959 [B] | 111 days | MESAN | Founder of the MESAN party; [4] negotiated for the independence of Oubangui-Chari and named the country the "Central African Republic". [5] | ||
— | Abel Goumba (1926–2009) | 30 March 1959 [6] | 30 April 1959 | 31 days | MESAN | Served as Acting Prime Minister; had an internal struggle for power with Dacko after Boganda's death. | ||
2 | David Dacko (1930–2003) | 1 May 1959 [6] | 13 August 1960 | 1 year, 104 days | MESAN | Seized power from Goumba, with the support of high commissioner Roger Barberot, the Bangui chamber of commerce and Boganda's widow, Michelle Jourdain. [7] | ||
Central African Republic (1960–1976; independent) | ||||||||
1 | David Dacko (1930–2003) | 13 August 1960 [6] | 14 August 1960 [C] | 1 day | MESAN | Also served as head of state (President) upon independence. [8] | ||
Post abolished (14 August 1960 – 1 January 1975) | ||||||||
2 | Elisabeth Domitien (1925–2005) | 2 January 1975 [D] [9] | 7 April 1976 [E] [10] | 1 year, 96 days | MESAN | First female head of government in Africa. [11] | ||
Vacant (8 April 1976 – 4 September 1976) | ||||||||
3 | Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) | 5 September 1976 [10] [12] | 3 December 1976 [F] | 89 days | MESAN | Later served as President (1993–2003). [13] | ||
Central African Empire (1976–1979) | ||||||||
1 | Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) | 8 December 1976 [14] | 14 July 1978 | 1 year, 218 days | MESAN | |||
2 | Henri Maïdou (born 1936) | 14 July 1978 [10] | 21 September 1979 [14] | 1 year, 69 days | MESAN | Wrote a letter on 4 September 1979 to the French government officials, asking them to put an end to Bokassa's tyrannical rule. [15] Less than three weeks later, the French successfully executed Operation Barracuda, toppling the Bokassa regime. | ||
Central African Republic (1979–present) | ||||||||
4 | Henri Maïdou (born 1936) | 21 September 1979 | 26 September 1979 [G] | 5 days | MESAN | |||
5 | Bernard Ayandho (1930–1993) | 26 September 1979 [16] | 22 August 1980 [H] | 331 days | MESAN | Previously served as a Minister of Economy. [17] | ||
UDC [I] | ||||||||
Vacant (23 August 1980 – 11 November 1980) | ||||||||
6 | Jean-Pierre Lebouder (born 1944) | 12 November 1980 [16] | 4 April 1981 [18] | 143 days | UDC | Minister of Economy and Finance in Gaombalet's government from 2003–2004. [19] | ||
7 | Simon Narcisse Bozanga (1942–2010) | 4 April 1981 | 1 September 1981 [16] | 150 days | UDC | Served as secretary general and Minister of Justice in the Dacko government. [20] | ||
Post abolished (2 September 1981 – 14 March 1991) | ||||||||
8 | Édouard Frank (born 1934) | 15 March 1991 [16] | 4 December 1992 [21] | 1 year, 264 days | RDC | Served as the president of the Central African Republic Supreme Court. Declared Patassé the winner of the 1993 presidential election. [22] | ||
9 | Timothée Malendoma (1935–2010) | 4 December 1992 | 26 February 1993 [J] | 84 days | FC | Minister of the National Economy in Bokassa's government and Minister of State under Dacko. [23] | ||
10 | Enoch Derant Lakoué (born 1945) | 26 February 1993 | 25 October 1993 | 241 days | PSD | Candidate from the PSD in the 1993 and 1999 presidential elections. [24] [25] Later served as the head of the national administration of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). [26] | ||
11 | Jean-Luc Mandaba (1943–2000) | 25 October 1993 [27] | 12 April 1995 [K] | 1 year, 169 days | MLPC | Minister of Health under Kolingba and Vice President of the MLPC. [28] | ||
12 | Gabriel Koyambounou (born 1947) | 12 April 1995 [29] | 6 June 1996 | 1 year, 55 days | MLPC | Inspector in the civil service prior to becoming prime minister. [29] | ||
13 | Jean-Paul Ngoupandé (1948–2014) | 6 June 1996 [21] | 30 January 1997 | 238 days | PUN | Former ambassador to France. [30] | ||
14 | Michel Gbezera-Bria (born 1946) | 30 January 1997 [L] | 4 January 1999 | 1 year, 339 days | Independent | Previously served as foreign minister. [31] | ||
15 | Anicet-Georges Dologuélé (born 1957) | 4 January 1999 [32] | 1 April 2001 [M] | 2 years, 87 days | Independent | Minister of Finance and Budget in Gbezera-Bria's government. [33] | ||
16 | Martin Ziguélé (born 1957) | 1 April 2001 | 15 March 2003 [N] | 1 year, 348 days | MLPC | Finished second place to incumbent François Bozizé in the first round of the 2005 presidential elections, [34] but lost the second round run-off. [35] Elected to three-year term as President of MLPC in June 2007. [36] | ||
17 | Abel Goumba (1926–2009) | 23 March 2003 [37] | 11 December 2003 [O] | 263 days | FPP | Acting Prime Minister following Boganda's death in 1959. [21] Vice President from 11 December 2003 to 15 March 2005. | ||
18 | Célestin Gaombalet (1942–2017) | 12 December 2003 | 11 June 2005 [P] | 1 year, 181 days | Independent | Former director-general of Union Bank in Central Africa (UBAC), worked for the Development Bank of Central African States in Congo-Brazzaville, headed the Moroccan-Central African People's Bank (BMPC). [38] Subsequently, the Speaker of the National Assembly. [39] | ||
19 | Élie Doté (born 1947) | 13 June 2005 [40] | 18 January 2008 [Q] | 2 years, 219 days | Independent | Became finance minister in September 2006 cabinet reshuffle, while maintaining his post as prime minister. [41] | ||
20 | Faustin-Archange Touadéra (born 1957) | 22 January 2008 [42] | 17 January 2013 [43] | 4 years, 361 days | Independent | Holds two doctoral degrees in mathematics. Served as vice-chancellor of the University of Bangui from May 2004 until being appointed as prime minister. [44] Later served as President (2016–present). | ||
21 | Nicolas Tiangaye (born 1956) | 17 January 2013 [2] | 10 January 2014 [R] | 358 days | Independent | Served as President of the National Transitional Council (CNT) from 2003 to 2005. | ||
— | André Nzapayeké (born 1951) | 25 January 2014 | 10 August 2014 [45] | 197 days | Independent | Serving as Acting Prime Minister; former Executive Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and vice president of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). [46] [47] | ||
— | Mahamat Kamoun (born 1961) | 10 August 2014 | 2 April 2016 | 1 year, 236 days | Independent | Heading a transitional government until the full implementation of the peace deal. | ||
22 | Simplice Sarandji (born 1955) | 2 April 2016 | 27 February 2019 | 2 years, 331 days | Independent | |||
23 | Firmin Ngrébada (born 1968) | 27 February 2019 | 15 June 2021 | 2 years, 108 days | Independent | |||
MCU | ||||||||
24 | Henri-Marie Dondra (born 1966) | 15 June 2021 | 7 February 2022 | 237 days | Independent | |||
25 | Félix Moloua (born 1957) | 7 February 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 290 days | MCU |
The Central African Republic (CAR), formerly known as Ubangi-Shari, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest, and Cameroon to the west. Bangui is the country's capital and largest city, bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Central African Republic covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi). As of 2024, it has a population of 5,357,744, and is in the scene of a civil war, which has been ongoing since 2012. As a former French colony, French is the official language, with Sango, a Ngbandi based-creole language as the national and co-official language.
The history of the Central African Republic is roughly composed of four distinct periods. The earliest period of settlement began around 10,000 years ago when nomadic people first began to settle, farm and fish in the region. The next period began around 10,000 years prior.
Bangui is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River ; the Ubangi itself was named from the Bobangi word for the "rapids" located beside the settlement, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding area.
François Bozizé Yangouvonda is a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 2003 to 2013. He was the only Central African president born in modern-day Gabon.
Ange-Félix Patassé was a Central African politician who was president of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé in the 2003 coup d'état. Patassé was the first president in the CAR's history to be chosen in what was generally regarded as a fairly democratic election (1993) in that it was brought about by donor pressure on President André Kolingba and assisted by the United Nations Electoral Assistance Unit.
Elisabeth Domitien served as the prime minister of the Central African Republic from 1975 to 1976. She was the first and to date only woman to hold the position, and was the first woman to serve as prime minister of a country in Africa.
David Dacko was a Central African politician who served as the first President of the Central African Republic from 14 August 1960 to 1 January 1966 and as the third President of the Central African Republic from 21 September 1979 to 1 September 1981. He also served as Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 1 May 1959 to 14 August 1960. After his second removal from power in a coup d'état led by General André Kolingba, he pursued an active career as an opposition politician and presidential candidate with many loyal supporters; Dacko was an important political figure in the country for over 50 years.
Abel Nguéndé Goumba was a Central African politician. During the late 1950s, he headed the government in the period prior to independence from France, and following independence he was an unsuccessful candidate for President of the Central African Republic four times. Goumba, who was President of the Patriotic Front for Progress (FPP) political party, served under President François Bozizé as Prime Minister from March 2003 to December 2003 and then as Vice President of the Central African Republic from December 2003 to March 2005. Subsequently, he was appointed to the official post of Ombudsman.
Célestin Leroy Gaombalet was a Central African politician who was Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 2003 to 2005. He was President of the National Assembly of the Central African Republic from 2005 to 2013.
André-Dieudonné Kolingba was a Central African politician, who was the fourth President of the Central African Republic (CAR), from 1 September 1981 until 1 October 1993. He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d'état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993. Kolingba retained the strong support of France until the end of the Cold War in 1992, after which both internal and external pressure forced him to hold presidential elections which he lost.
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General elections were held in the Central African Republic on March 13, 2005 to elect the President and National Assembly. A second round was held for both elections on May 8, marking the end of the transitional process that began with the seizure of power by François Bozizé in a March 2003 coup, overthrowing President Ange-Félix Patassé. A new constitution was approved in a referendum in December 2004 and took effect the same month.
The Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People is a political party in the Central African Republic. It has been an observer member of the Socialist International since 2008, and is also a member of the Progressive Alliance.
Henri Maïdou is a Central African retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the Central African Empire from 14 July 1978 to 26 September 1979, and Vice President of the Central African Republic in the cabinet of David Dacko from 26 September 1979 to 22 August 1980.
The Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa was a political party in the Central African Republic. In its original form, it was a nationalist quasi-religious party that sought to affirm black humanity and advocated for the independence of Ubangi-Shari, then a French colonial territory.
The Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état was a coup d'état staged by Jean-Bédel Bokassa, commander-in-chief of the Central African Republic (CAR) army, and his officers against the government of President David Dacko on 31 December 1965 and 1 January 1966. Dacko, Bokassa's cousin, took over the country in 1960, and Bokassa, an officer in the French army, joined the CAR army in 1962. By 1965, the country was in turmoil—plagued by corruption and slow economic growth, while its borders were breached by rebels from neighboring countries. Dacko obtained financial aid from the People's Republic of China, but despite this support, the country's problems persisted. Bokassa made plans to take over the government; Dacko was made aware of this, and attempted to counter by forming the gendarmerie headed by Jean Izamo, who quickly became Dacko's closest adviser.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexandre Banza was a military officer and politician in the Central African Republic. Born in Carnot, Ubangi-Shari, Banza served with the French Army during the First Indochina War before joining the Central African Armed Forces. As commander of the Camp Kassaï military base in 1965, Banza helped Jean-Bédel Bokassa overthrow the government of President David Dacko. Bokassa rewarded Banza by appointing him as minister of state and minister of finance in the new government. Banza quickly established the new regime's reputation abroad and forged diplomatic relations with other countries. In 1967, Bokassa and his protégé had a major argument over the president's extravagances. In April 1968, Bokassa removed Banza as minister of finance. Recognizing Bokassa's attempts to undermine him, Banza made a number of remarks highly critical of the president's handling of the government. Bokassa responded by abolishing the minister of state position.
General elections were held in the Central African Republic on 30 December 2015 to elect the president and National Assembly. As no presidential candidate received more than 50% of the vote, and following the annulling of the results of the National Assembly elections by the Transitional Constitutional Court, a second round of the presidential elections and a re-run of the parliamentary elections were held on 14 February 2016, with second round run-offs for the parliamentary elections on 31 March.
Nicolas Tiangaye is a Central African politician and lawyer who was Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 17 January 2013 until his resignation on 10 January 2014. He was President of the National Transitional Council from 2003 to 2005.