Prime Minister Elie Doté of the Central African Republic resigned, together with his government, on Friday 18 January 2008, following two weeks of strikes by unions and government workers over salary arrears. Doté’s move came one day before the parliament was expected to vote on a motion of no-confidence against him.

President François Bozizé accepted the resignation Friday evening and immediately issued a statement on national television. According to the President’s spokesperson Cyriaque Gonda, Bozizé welcomed the decision, stressing that Doté had decided to resign in the interest of ”keeping social peace, social cohesion and national unity.”

The president announced to present the “conditions under which the continuity of the state will be assured” by Monday 21 January. He is expected to name a new prime minister within the next days to form a new administration.

48 lawmakers from the KNK majority coalition backing president Bozizé filed a motion of no-confidence against Elie Doté’s government at the National Assembly on Thursday, 17 January. The hearings, scheduled for Saturday 19 January, were likely to have resulted in a firm vote against the administration.

The resignation came amid a countrywide general strike that began on 2 January, 2008. It was initiated by the major trade unions, who protest against the failure to pay salaries for government employees, a long-standing issue in poverty-stricken CAR. Many civil servants and teachers have not received salaries for up to seven months. The strikes follow similar protests that took place in 2007. Aside from such strikes, there has been no violent unrest in Bangui in the last two years.

A general demonstration organized by all major unions that was scheduled for Saturday morning in Bangui was expected to result in more outspoken turbulence. However, the government’s decision to resign may have resolved tensions for the time being.

The government of CAR does not have the funds to pay all salary arrears for civil servants, teachers, and military personnel, and a meeting between president Bozizé and union leaders on Thursday failed to reach a settlement. The issue of salary arrears is vital to Bozizé’s presidency, as support from the now-critical unions was key to his success in the 2005 elections.

The general lack of development and economic progress in CAR over more than 20 years has contributed to a humanitarian emergency in the north of the country, where living conditions have not improved since Bozizé came to power in 2003, and where unrest and fighting between rebel groups and government troops has led to the displacement of almost 300,000 people.

Elie Doté was appointed prime minister following the legislative and presidential elections of 2005, which European observers deemed democratic. Previous to this post, Doté served as a senior official at the African Development Bank.

For more information on the development and humanitarian situation in CAR contact:

Nancy Snauwaert
Information Officer
UN OCHA, Bangui
snauwaert@un.org

John Ratcliffe
Public Information Officer
UNDP, Bangui
john.ratcliffe@und.org