Members of Parliament (Lawmakers) in the troubled country of the Central Africa Republic have voted to choose Catherine Samba-Panza as the interim president of the country.
Ms. Samba-Panza, 59, is a businesswoman as well as the former mayor of the capital Bangui, a post given to him by resigned president, Micheal Djotodia.
She won 75 votes in the run-off, against 53 for Mr. Kolingba who is the son of a former president. The election went to a second round after no candidate failed to secure an outright majority in the first round. Six other candidates were eliminated in the first round.
The violence in the Central Africa Republic has descended into religious conflict with the Seleka fighters being Muslims and the anti-Balaka militias being Christians.
She is a Christian but is seen as politically neutral and with a soft-woman heart which is needed very critical in this turbulent time for the Central Africa Republic.
Local reporters say she was accepted by both sides when she was proposed as Bangui’s mayor under the interim administration led by Micheal Djotodia but it is unclear whether she will be fully accepted full by the people fighting on the ground.
She however in her victory speech called on both sides to end the conflict and look for the way forward for the country.
“I call on my children, especially the anti-Balaka, to put down their arms and stop all the fighting. The same goes for the ex-Seleka – they should not have fear. I don’t want to hear any more talk of murders and killings, Starting today, I am the president of all Central Africans, without exclusion’’, she said.
Meanwhile, the European Union has welcomed the vote and called on the new leader to take immediate steps to end the conflict which has left about more than 1, 000 people dead and rendered dozens others homeless.
France, the country’s former colonial ruler, welcomed Samba-Panza’s election and urged her to hold speedy national elections.
A diplomatic source in the European Union further disclosed that the EU has agreed on Monday to send up to 1,000 troops to provide technical support to help stabilize the country.
The United Nations says the conflict has driven a million people out of their homes and further estimates that about 2.6 million people need urgent humanitarian aid in the country.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
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