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Franois Boziz Franois Boziz (born October 14, 1946) is the current President of the Central African Republic. He came to power in March 2003 after leading a rebellion against President Ange-Flix Patass and ushered in a transitional period of government. According to official results, he came in first in the March 2005 presidential election, but did not receive a majority, and so he will face the second-place finisher in a run-off. Early life and Kolingba's rule Boziz was born in Gabon and attended a military officers' training college in the Central African province of Bouar, becoming a captain in 1975. He was appointed brigadier-general by Emperor Jean-Bdel Bokassa in 1978. After Bokassa was ousted by David Dacko in 1979, Boziz was appointed defense minister. During the military rule of Andr Kolingba (1981–1993), Boziz was appointed communications minister, but was subsequently accused of plotting a coup attempt. After being arrested in Cotonou, Benin in July 1989, Boziz was imprisoned and tortured, but he was acquitted in late 1991.1 Kolingba held elections in 1993, and Boziz became a candidate. He lost to Patass, who became president. Supporting Patass For many years, Boziz was considered a supporter of Patass and helped him suppress army mutinies in 1996 and 1997. Boziz was then named the Armed Forces Chief of Staff. Boziz showed no activity against Patass and frequently crushed revolts against the president. Against Patass However, in May 2001, Boziz's loyalty was questioned in the aftermath of another failed coup against Patass. It was defeated with the help of Libyan troops, but Boziz refused to answer questions regarding his involvement, and in November he fled to Chad with 300 supporters. From Chad, Boziz frequently made raids into the Central African Republic throughout 2002. In October, he launched an attack on the capital, Bangui. With the help of Libya and the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (a rebel group from the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Patass was able to stop the attack. Patass accused President Idriss Dby of Chad of helping the rebels, a charge which Dby denied. The Final Coup On March 15, 2003, Boziz finally succeeded in seizing power. Patass was at a meeting in Niger at the time and was unable to return: Boziz and his troops had taken control of Bangui and its airport. Patass took refuge in Cameroon and then Togo. Boziz suspended the country's 1995 constitution after seizing power, and a new constitution, reportedly similar to the old one, was approved by voters in a referendum on December 5, 2004. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=44736&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes After seizing power, Boziz initially said he would not run in a planned future presidential election, but after the successful constitutional referendum, he announced his intention to stand as a candidate: - After thinking thoroughly, and being deeply convinced and keeping in mind the nation's interest, I grasped the deep sense of my people's calls. As a citizen, I'll take my responsibility.
- I'll contest the election to achieve the task of rebuilding the country, which is dear to me and according to your wish.1
In late December 2004, Boziz was one of five candidates approved to run in presidential elections scheduled for early 2005. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=44873&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=CENTRAL_AFRICAN_REPUBLIC In early January 2005, Boziz announced that three initially excluded candidates would also be allowed to run, although former president Patass was not included in either group. In late January, it was announced that more candidates would be permitted to run in the election, bringing the total to 11 and leaving only Patass barred. The elections were also delayed by one month from the previously scheduled date of February 13 to March 13 http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=45211&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=CENTRAL_AFRICAN_REPUBLIC (see Central African Republic elections, 2005). Boziz came in first in the March 13 election, taking just under 43% of the vote according to official results. He will face Patass's last prime minister, Martin Zigul, in a second round of voting. In early March 2004, the Central African Republic made international headlines when Boziz allowed the ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to stay in exile in the country, although Aristide remained there only briefly. Reference - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), "Bozize to contest presidency as an independent candidate", December 13, 2004.
Boziz, Franois Boziz, Franois Boziz
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