On March 21, 2022, aweek-longrepublican dialogue opened in the hemicycle of the National Assembly in the Central African Republic.
The President of the Central African Republic, FaustinArchangeTouadera, opened the work of this national consultation on the way out of the military-political crisis, in the presence of representatives of the political parties of the presidential majority and the democratic opposition, civil society, religious denominations, former heads of state, and diplomats. From March 21 to 27, the 450 participants will exchange on the themes established by the organizing committee to bring the country out of the crisis.
The socio-political observer and Central African jurist, Fernand Ngomo, noted that this dialogue was eagerly awaited by all Central Africans, because the country has gone through many changes and the time has come to define a plan for the future of the Central African Republic.
Fernand Ngomo points out that the Republican dialogue is the opportunity for Central African society to adjust the basic laws to the renewed context of the country free of violence and insecurity. Since the Constitution of March 30, 2016 was adopted in a difficult context, when the CAR was totally dependent on France, now the Constitution has lapsed. The Constitution of March 30, 2022 was the document of the transitional period of the country’s life – from the power and dictatorship of armed groups to the democratic rule of President FaustinArchangeTouadera.
Fernand Ngomo stressed that, even after the adoption of this Constitution, armed groups were trampling on the rights and freedoms of Central Africans, and the government and the army were not yet strong to establish peace and ensure order and security. However, at the moment, President Touadera and the Central African Government control 95% of the territory, and government forces ensure the safety of citizens, so the country needs changes to develop.
Fernand Ngomoinsists that the leaders of many Central African public organizations also understood that the country needed a new basic law of the Republic, which would guarantee the Central African Republic sovereignty against French colonialism and stimulate economic development and prosperity.
Thus, the Coordinator of the “GénérationConsciente” platform, Alain Patrick Dé-Komah, expressed his position regarding the Constitution of March 30, 2016. According to him, in Article 35, 36, 37 and Article 153 of the Central African Constitution, there is too much ambiguity. The coordinator of “TöngölötiBêAfrika”, StanislasKokotaDobi, stressed that the Constitution of the Central African Republic of March 30, 2016 no longer meets the Central African realities and the data have changed. The coordinator of the movement “I kèwoussouwoussounaBêAfrika”, Mack Lauren Dackou, also considers the need to review this law of the Republic. For him, the fact that the law is evolving, some articles of the Constitution of March 30, 2016 need to be revised. And finally, according to the coordinator of the “JeunessePanafricaniste” movement, WilfriedBalogbia, the Constitutional Court should be able to revise the Constitution in order to allow President Touadera to make the CAR a new Republic.
The socio-political observer and Central African jurist, Fernand Ngomo, welcomed the awakening of the conscience of Central Africans who want a better future for their country. For him, the Republican dialogue is the definitive way out of the Central African Crisis, so it is necessary that the opinions of the people and social organizations on the need to amend the Constitution be heard.
