Ballots Counted After Pivotal C. African Republic Election

Voters were queuing outside polling stations in the Central African Republic on Wednesday morning to elect a president and new parliament in elections seen as vital to restore stability to the region.

More than 1.8 million people are expected to vote, at more than 500 polling stations across the country, which has been ruled since May 2014 by interim President Catherine Samba-Panza.

United Nations peacekeepers and police have been deployed to safeguard polls where violence threatened voters during a referendum on December 13, which was seen as a test for these national elections.

They will hold this much-delayed national elections in hopes to reconcile many years of sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians.

The mostly Christian country has been rocked by violence since veteran president François Bozize was ousted in a March 2013 coup by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance, which installed Michel Djotodia, the first Muslim head of state.

Thirty candidates are competing for the presidency however in the lack of an incumbent or opinion polls, it’s hard to call a victor.

Kolingba, who is the son of a former president, said ballot boxes were found at homes of candidates, and warned against the theft of what he said was his “certain victory”.

While initial reaction to the voting process was positive, there were some reports of minor irregularities and the national electoral commission, admitting a number of “logistical difficulties”, urged candidates to use legal means to address any grievances.

“We are absolutely satisfied, it is a success”, he said.

Mr Djotodia quit in January 2014 after disbanding the Seleka, but attacks on Christians by rogue Muslim forces led to brutal reprisals against Muslim districts by “anti-balaka” (“anti-machete”) militias from Christian communities. “I voted for peace”, said Ahmat Abouna, who fled to the Cameroon border town of Garoua-Boulai and voted along with thousands of other refugees.

In the capital Bangui, many people said they were desperate to vote and that they hoped the election would bring change to the country. The conflict has displaced more than a million people or 20 percent of the country’s total population.

“I’ve been dreaming of this election for two years since the day armed men killed my father and my brother in Bangui”.

The election authority said it would rerun voting for the National Assembly in some areas because ballot papers failed to arrive.

A United Nations peacekeeping mission and a French military operation were able to stem the fighting, but despite their presence, the transitional government has not been able to regain control of the country outside Bangui.

He and the thousands of others waiting on a dirt road in the heat of the sun proudly placed their votes in a clear plastic box with a red top, closely overseen by poll workers in bright yellow vests.