BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) 鈥� The runner-up in ‘s presidential rejected the provisional results on Wednesday and alleged widespread fraud, while the Russia-allied country’s leader said he had invited President Vladimir Putin to visit.
Anicet Georges Dologu茅l茅 claimed that Sunday’s election data had been manipulated by the National Elections Authority.
鈥淲e all know that more than half of the results have not been taken into account,” Dologu茅l茅 said. “All the figures announced by the president of the National Elections Authority are very far from the truth.鈥� He did not offer any evidence to back his claim.
Provisional results show President Faustin Archange Touadera won 76.1% of the votes to gain a third term, and Dologu茅l茅 received 14.6%.
A spokesperson for Touadera, Evariste Ngamana, said Dologu茅l茅 was playing the role of a sore loser and denied the allegations of manipulation.
Final election results are expected on Jan. 20. The major opposition coalition boycotted the vote after a referendum allowed the removal of presidential term limits.
Former Prime Minister Henri Marie Dondra, who received 3.19% of the vote, also demanded the election be cancelled, alleging fraud and violations of electoral law.
Central African Republic, long threatened by armed groups, is one of the countries on the continent that has turned toward Russia for security help. The Wagner mercenary group has been responsible for Touad茅ra鈥檚 security, but tensions have grown between Touad茅ra and Russia after Moscow demanded that Wagner be replaced with the Russian military unit .
Speaking Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday, Touad茅ra expressed admiration for Putin and said he had invited him to visit and was waiting on a response. It was not clear when the invitation had been extended.
鈥淚 consider him one of the most outstanding political figures in the world and a truly great leader for the entire global community,” Touad茅ra said.
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McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal.
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