NOTE: Results from the first round of the parliamentary election were nullified by the National Election Authority due to massive irregularities in the voting. A re-run of the first round of voting will occur on 14 February 2016.

At stake in this election:       

• The 105 seats in the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Interim President Catherine SAMBA-PANZA (since 23 January 2014)*
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Mahamat KAMOUN (since 10 August 2014)*
• Assembly: Central African Republic has a unicameral National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) with 105 seats.

*Interim President SAMBA-PANZA replaced Interim President Michel DJOTODIA following his resignation, which was prompted by his failure to prevent intensifying sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians. Prime Minister KAMOUN is the leader of the transitional government. For a more complete overview of the political situation in the Central African Republic, please see this timeline.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
• Prime Minister is appointed by the president.
• In the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) 105 members are elected by absolute majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.**

**If no candidate receives an absolute majority in the first round, a second round is held between the top two candidates.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: National Convergence “Kwa Na Kwa”
  • Leader: François BOZIZÉ
  • Seats won in last election: 63
• Party: Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People / Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple Centrafricain (MLPC)
  • Leader: Martin ZIGUÉLÉ
  • Seats won in last election: 2
• Party: Central African Democratic Assembly / Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain (RDC)
  • Leader: Desire Nzanga KOLINGBA
  • Seats won in last election: 1
• Party: Alliance for Democracy and Progress / Alliance pour la Démocratie et le Progrès (ADP)
  • Leader: Clement BELIBANGA
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Last election:

• The last election for the National Assembly was held on 27 March 2011.  There were 1,825,735 registered voters for the election. The National Convergence "Kwa Na Kwa" (KNK) Party won 63 seats (of 105); the Presidential Majority Alliance won 12 seats; the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC) won 2 seats; Independents won 14 seats; and the Central African Democratic Assembly (RDC) won 1 seat. Results can be found here.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 5,391,539 (2015 est.)[1]
• Registered voters: 1,825,735 (2011) [2]

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 2,695,770 (2015 est.)[3]
• Is the Central African Republic a signatory to CEDAW: N/A[4]
• Has the Central African Republic ratified CEDAW: Yes (21 June 1991)[5]
• Gender Quota: No[6]
• Female Candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of Female Legislators: 13 (12.38%) of 105[7]
• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 185[8]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High[9]

Disability Data:

• Is the Central African Republic a signatory to CRPD: Yes (9 May 2007)[10]
• Has the Central African Republic ratified CRPD: No[11]
• Population with a disability: 808,731 (2015 est.)[12]

[1] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ct.html

[2]  http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?CountryCode=CF

[3] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ct.html

[4] https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en

[5] https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en

[6] http://www.quotaproject.org/noquotas.cfm

[7] http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/car_A.htm

[8] http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components

[9] http://genderindex.org/country/central-african-republic

[10] https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=iv-15&chapter=4&lang=en

[11] https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=iv-15&chapter=4&lang=en

[12] http://www.electionaccess.org/en/resources/countries/cf/all/