UntitledOverview
NDI has not been active in The Central African Republic (CAR) since closing the field office in November 2001. During its presence in CAR, NDI engaged in a program that trained political party representatives and poll workers and implemented a series of activities to facilitate constituent outreach and educate the public about the role and mission of the National Assembly.
CAR gained independence in 1960 and, after a brief attempt at multiparty democracy, was governed almost entirely by military and one-party rule for more than three decades. In 1992, the military regime of General Kolingba yielded to domestic and international pressures, organizing a national political conference and allowing political parties to form. Multiparty competitive elections were held the following year, and Ange-Félix Patassé became the first democratically elected president of CAR after a two-round presidential race. Former Army chief of staff Francois Bozize led his third coup attempt in March 2003 and overthrew President Patassé during his second term. General Bozize had been thwarted in 1983 and 2001.
Institutional Development
NDI planned to implement a program in 2001 to assist the institutional development of the Central African National Assembly. NDI was to conduct training seminars and workshops on topics identified by Central African Members of Parliament (MPs) and assist them in reaching out to their constituents. NDI's original programming, however, could not be fully implemented as intended due to two major events that seriously deteriorated the security situation in the country and further polarized the political class: the failed coup attempt of May 28, 2001, orchestrated by former President General Kolingba, and the attempted arrest of General Bozizé in early November 2001, which engendered a week-long armed confrontation between government troops and troops loyal to the general in Bangui.
For more than one month following the failed coup, many state institutions, such as the National Assembly, were simply not functioning as the country was in a quasi-insurrectionary state. As such, NDI could not implement the series of seminars on the role and mission of the Parliament and its technical commissions scheduled to start in June 2001. The Institute decided to reprogram part of its activities to focus on the important role the National Assembly could play in the national reconciliation process. With NDI's technical and logistical support, the leadership in the legislature set out to form an ad-hoc parliamentary investigation committee in order to research the political causes of the attempted coup and provide solutions to the crisis. NDI had also planned to hold a forum on the National Assembly and its role in the reconciliation process in mid-November, in cooperation with the United Nations Office in CAR (BONUCA). Unfortunately, the hard line approach of President Patassé to the crisis did not allow these initiatives to take place. The outbreak of violence, which occurred in early November, only confirmed NDI's perception that the political space needed to support the initiatives of the National Assembly no longer existed. NDI decided to suspend its program in CAR and leave the country.
Nevertheless, prior to departure, NDI did manage to play a mediating role during the crisis between the majority and the opposition in the National Assembly, and implemented a series of activities to facilitate constituent outreach and educate the public about the role and mission of the National Assembly. The activities included a series of radio talk shows in partnership with Radio Ndeke Luka, where parliamentarians, members of the executive branch and of civil society were invited to debate various themes, such as the role and mission of the National Assembly; committees of parliamentarian investigations in CAR; and relationships between the legislative power and other powers of government. NDI also designed and distributed a parliamentary guide for the common citizen ("Livret Parlementaire du Citoyen") in order to familiarize Central African voters with the role of the National Assembly in their society. Finally, NDI supported the "Central African MPs Network", a group of current and former women MPs, by assisting this organization in addressing the concerns of Central African women in Parliament and drafting an anti-discrimination bill supporting the establishment of quotas in the public sector.
Past Programs
In 1999, NDI provided training and technical assistance to political party representatives and members of the newly appointed Commission Electorale Mixte Indépendante (CEMI) in preparation for the country's second competitive presidential election. Program components included a political party forum, training workshops for CEMI members and political party representatives charged with monitoring the activities of election officials, development of a resource manual on the roles and responsibilities of political party poll watchers and a needs assessment of the CAR National Assembly. In 1998, NDI conducted a program to train poll workers from the election commission and poll watchers from civil society in preparation for the 1998 legislative elections.
Contact Information
For further information on our programs in Central African Republic, please contact:
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