Presidential elections were held in the Central African Republic on 15 March 1981.[1] They were the first national elections of any sort since 1964, the first elections since the overthrow of longtime ruler Jean-Bédel Bokassa in 1979, and the first multiparty presidential elections since independence. Five candidates—incumbent president David Dacko, Ange-Félix Patassé, François Pehoua, Henri Maïdou and Abel Goumba—stood in the election.
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Turnout | 76.66% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The elections were won by Dacko, who had been restored to power two years earlier as part of Operation Barracuda, which overthrew Emperor Bokassa I (Jean-Bédel Bokassa). Dacko tried to pose as the inheritor of Barthélemy Boganda, the national hero who founded the country.
Results
editCandidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Dacko | Central African Democratic Union | 374,027 | 51.10 | |
Ange-Félix Patassé | Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People | 283,739 | 38.77 | |
François Pehoua | Independent Grouping for Reflection | 39,661 | 5.42 | |
Henri Maïdou | Republican Progressive Party | 24,007 | 3.28 | |
Abel Goumba | Oubanguian Patriotic Front | 10,512 | 1.44 | |
Total | 731,946 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 731,946 | 98.29 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 12,742 | 1.71 | ||
Total votes | 744,688 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 971,395 | 76.66 | ||
Source: EISA |
References
edit- ^ Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p210 ISBN 0-19-829645-2