NANA BAKASSA, Boycott of the New Mayor's Installation

By Sophie HERVOUET | LNC Translated into English by Gwenaëlle DE LACAN

(Bangui, June 22, 2026 | LAMINE MEDIA) A pathetic story is unfolding in NANA BAKASSA, a town in the north of the country, where the election of the new mayor is about to take place. Everyone is there: local authorities, dignitaries, the gendarmerie, MINUSCA, and a military detachment—all gathered for the occasion. Having come out on top with 10 seats, Jacques Junior Nigawong Malo, candidate of the Central African Republic New Momentum (CANE) party founded by Sylvain Patassé, is the clear favorite. Facing him is Emmanuel Namdessene, the outgoing mayor and candidate of the ruling party, the United Hearts Movement, who won 7 seats and will have to relinquish power. But then, a general surprise! The outgoing mayor and his municipal councilors did not show up at the town hall, citing a rushed schedule and a lack of preparation. The installation of the new mayor was therefore postponed until the following day. On June 5, they did it again. And this time, without any justification. A municipal councilor whispered: "They deliberately boycotted the election in order to prevent it." And the mission dispatched by the Ministry of Territorial Administration to install the new mayor was postponed until June 8. But when the day arrived, nothing happened; there was no outgoing mayor. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Territorial Administration, Sylvain Patassé, president of the CANE party and member of parliament for Nana Bakassa, denounced these subversive maneuvers and pointed the finger at the interference of the Minister of State, Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic. According to these letters, one can read: “This election was deliberately obstructed by Mr. Emmanuel Namdessene, with the complicity of his close associate, Mr. Obed Namsio, whose instructions dictated the conduct of the vote…” – Sylvain Patassé, president of the CANE party. And according to several accounts, the outgoing mayor's camp repeatedly attempted to bribe certain CANE party councilors to vote in his favor. These attempts were unsuccessful, which, according to a prominent figure in the region, explains the boycott of the election. And according to several regional accounts, Emmanuel Namdessene, mayor for the past six years, has a negative, even catastrophic, record. And in the town, several dozen residents say they no longer recognize the outgoing mayor. They now refuse to pay taxes and fees to the town hall until the new mayor is installed. But here's a stupid question: what prevented the new mayor from being installed without the former mayor present?

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Date: June 22, 2026

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