List of heads of government of the Central African Republic
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There have been twenty-five heads of government of the Central African Republic and the Central African Empire. The office of prime minister, the head of government, was created when Ubangi-Shari, a French colony, became an autonomous territory of France (as the Central African Republic) in December 1958. It was originally the highest post of the Central African Republic, though France did maintain a governor in the territory. After the Central African Republic declared its independence on 13 August 1960, David Dacko held both the prime minister and newly created president of the Central African Republic posts briefly before eliminating the prime minister position and placing all executive power in the office of the President.
| Prime Minister of the Central African Republic | |
|---|---|
| Premier Ministre de la République Centrafricaine (French) | |
| |
| Member of | Council of Ministers |
| Seat | Bangui |
| Appointer | President of the Central African Republic |
| Term length | at the pleasure of the president |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of the Central African Republic |
| Formation | 13 August 1960 |
| First holder | David Dacko |
President Jean-Bédel Bokassa restored the office of prime minister to assist him in governing the country in 1975, shortly before he declared himself emperor. He selected as prime minister Elisabeth Domitien, who become Africa's first female head of government. After Domitien was removed from office, Bokassa named Ange-Félix Patassé to become his next prime minister. Patassé continued serving as prime minister after Bokassa declared the establishment of the Central African Empire in December 1976. Henri Maïdou succeeded Patassé and continued serving as prime minister after Bokassa was overthrown from power. During the following two years of Dacko's presidency, three more politicians served as prime minister. The post was abolished when Dacko was overthrown from the presidency by André Kolingba on 1 September 1981. The position, as it exists today, was recreated in 1991, when President Kolingba was forced to relinquish some of the executive power. The president has the authority to name the prime minister and can remove them from office at any time. The prime minister is the head of the government; within days of being appointed, they must select individuals for their Cabinet, who they will work with to coordinate the government.
The current prime minister of the Central African Republic is Félix Moloua, since 7 February 2022.[1]
List of officeholders
- Political parties
- Other affiliations
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political affiliation | Government | Head(s) of state (Term/Reign) |
Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| Central African Republic (1958–1960; autonomous within the French Community) | ||||||||||
| 1 |  |
Barthélemy Boganda (1910–1959) |
8 December 1958[A] | 29 March 1959[B] | 111 days | MESAN | — | — | ||
| — |  |
Abel Goumba (1926–2009) acting |
30 March 1959 | 30 April 1959 | 31 days | MESAN | — | [2] | ||
| 2 |  |
David Dacko (1930–2003) |
1 May 1959 | 13 August 1960 | 1 year, 104 days | MESAN | — | [2] | ||
| Central African Republic (1960–1976; independent) | ||||||||||
| 1 | |
David Dacko (1930–2003) |
13 August 1960 | 14 August 1960[C] | 1 day | MESAN | — | Himself (1960–1966) |
[2] | |
| Post abolished (14 August 1960 – 1 January 1975) | ||||||||||
| Bokassa (1966–1976) | ||||||||||
| 2 |  |
Elisabeth Domitien (1925–2005) |
2 January 1975[D] | 7 April 1976[E] | 1 year, 96 days | MESAN | — | [3][4] | ||
| Vacant (8 April 1976 – 4 September 1976) | ||||||||||
| 3 |  |
Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) |
5 September 1976 | 3 December 1976[F] | 89 days | MESAN | — | [4][5] | ||
| Central African Empire (1976–1979) | ||||||||||
| 1 | |
Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) |
8 December 1976 | 14 July 1978 | 1 year, 218 days | MESAN | Patassé | Bokassa I (1976–1979) |
[6] | |
| 2 |  |
Henri Maïdou (born 1936) |
14 July 1978 | 21 September 1979 | 1 year, 69 days | MESAN | Maïdou I | [4][6] | ||
| Central African Republic (1979–present) | ||||||||||
| 4 | |
Henri Maïdou (born 1936) |
21 September 1979 | 26 September 1979[G] | 5 days | MESAN | Maïdou II | David Dacko (1979–1981) |
||
| 5 |  |
Bernard Ayandho (1930–1993) |
26 September 1979 | 22 August 1980[H] | 331 days | MESAN | — | [7] | ||
| UDC[I] | ||||||||||
| Vacant (23 August 1980 – 11 November 1980) | ||||||||||
| 6 |  |
Jean-Pierre Lebouder (born 1944) |
12 November 1980 | 4 April 1981 | 143 days | UDC | — | [7][8] | ||
| 7 | |
Simon Narcisse Bozanga (1942–2010) |
4 April 1981 | 1 September 1981 | 150 days | UDC | — | [7] | ||
| Post abolished (2 September 1981 – 14 March 1991) | André Kolingba (1981–1993) |
|||||||||
| 8 | |
Édouard Frank (born 1934) |
15 March 1991 | 4 December 1992 | 1 year, 264 days | RDC | — | [7][9] | ||
| 9 | |
Timothée Malendoma (1935–2010) |
4 December 1992 | 26 February 1993[J] | 84 days | FC | — | |||
| 10 | |
Enoch Derant Lakoué (born 1945) |
26 February 1993 | 25 October 1993 | 241 days | PSD | — | |||
| Ange-Félix Patassé (1993–2003) | ||||||||||
| 11 | |
Jean-Luc Mandaba (1943–2000) |
25 October 1993 | 12 April 1995[K] | 1 year, 169 days | MLPC | — | [10] | ||
| 12 | |
Gabriel Koyambounou (born 1947) |
12 April 1995 | 6 June 1996 | 1 year, 55 days | MLPC | — | [11] | ||
| 13 | |
Jean-Paul Ngoupandé (1948–2014) |
6 June 1996 | 30 January 1997 | 238 days | PUN | — | [9] | ||
| 14 | |
Michel Gbezera-Bria (born 1946) |
30 January 1997[L] | 4 January 1999 | 1 year, 339 days | Independent | Gbezera-Bria | |||
| 15 | .jpg) |
Anicet-Georges Dologuélé (born 1957) |
4 January 1999 | 1 April 2001[M] | 2 years, 87 days | Independent | Dologuélé I | [12] | ||
| Dologuélé II | ||||||||||
| Dologuélé III | ||||||||||
| 16 |  |
Martin Ziguélé (born 1957) |
1 April 2001 | 15 March 2003[N] | 1 year, 348 days | MLPC | Ziguélé I | |||
| Ziguélé II | ||||||||||
| Ziguélé III | ||||||||||
| 17 | |
Abel Goumba (1926–2009) |
23 March 2003 | 11 December 2003[O] | 263 days | FPP | Goumba | François Bozizé (2003–2013) |
[13] | |
| 18 |  |
Célestin Gaombalet (1942–2017) |
12 December 2003 | 11 June 2005[P] | 1 year, 181 days | Independent | Gaombalet I | |||
| Gaombalet II | ||||||||||
| 19 |  |
Élie Doté (born 1947) |
13 June 2005 | 18 January 2008[Q] | 2 years, 219 days | Independent | Doté I | [14] | ||
| Doté II | ||||||||||
| Doté III | ||||||||||
| 20 |  |
Faustin-Archange Touadéra (born 1957) |
22 January 2008 | 17 January 2013 | 4 years, 361 days | Independent | Touadéra I | [15][16] | ||
| Touadéra II | ||||||||||
| Touadéra III | ||||||||||
| 21 |  |
Nicolas Tiangaye (born 1956) |
17 January 2013 | 10 January 2014[R] | 358 days | Independent | Tiangaye I | [17] | ||
| Tiangaye II | Michel Djotodia (2013–2014) | |||||||||
| Tiangaye III | ||||||||||
| — |  |
André Nzapayeké (born 1951) acting |
25 January 2014 | 10 August 2014 | 197 days | Independent | Nzapayeké | Catherine Samba-Panza (2014–2016) |
[18] | |
| — | .jpg) |
Mahamat Kamoun (born 1961) transitional |
10 August 2014 | 2 April 2016 | 1 year, 236 days | Independent | Kamoun I | |||
| Kamoun II | ||||||||||
| Kamoun III | ||||||||||
| Kamoun IV | Faustin-Archange Touadéra (2016–present) | |||||||||
| 22 | .jpg) |
Simplice Sarandji (born 1955) |
2 April 2016 | 27 February 2019 | 2 years, 331 days | Independent | Sarandji I | |||
| Sarandji II | ||||||||||
| 23 |  |
Firmin Ngrébada (born 1968) |
27 February 2019 | 15 June 2021 | 2 years, 108 days | Independent | Ngrébada | |||
| MCU | ||||||||||
| 24 |  |
Henri-Marie Dondra (born 1966) |
15 June 2021 | 7 February 2022 | 237 days | Independent | Dondra | |||
| 25 |  |
Félix Moloua (born 1957) |
7 February 2022 | Incumbent | 4 years, 177 days | MCU | Moloua I | |||
| Moloua II | ||||||||||
Footnotes
- A Goumba had served as President of the Government Council since 26 July 1958.[2] When the Central African Republic became a territorial autonomy, he served as the acting leader the government from 1 December 1958 to 8 December 1958.
- B Boganda was killed in a mysterious plane crash on 29 March 1959, while en route to Bangui.[19] The exact cause of the crash was not determined,[20] but sabotage was widely suspected.[21] Experts found a trace of explosives in the plane's wreckage, but revelation of this detail was withheld. Although those responsible for the crash were never identified, people have suspected the French secret service, and even Boganda's wife, of being involved.
- C Dacko removed the prime minister position and consolidated power in the presidency.
- D President for Life Jean-Bédel Bokassa established a new government on 2 January 1975 and reintroduced the position of prime minister. He appointed Domitien as president of MESAN and Prime Minister of the Central African Republic.[22]
- E Domitien was removed from office because she publicly expressed her disapproval of Bokassa's plans to establish a monarchy in the Central African Republic.[23] Bokassa then had her placed under house arrest.[24]
- F On 4 December 1976, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the republic a monarchy, the Central African Empire.[25]
- G President Dacko appointed Maïdou as vice president on 27 September 1979.[9]
- H Prime Minister Ayandho was dismissed from office on 22 August 1980 by Dacko, who saw him as a political threat, and placed under house arrest.[7]
- I Dacko created the Central African Democratic Union in February 1980 as the country's only political party.[26]
- J Malendoma was removed as prime minister and replaced by Lakoué.[27]
- K In April 1995, Mandaba resigned as prime minister, preempting a threatened vote of no-confidence from his own party, following accusations of incompetence and corruption.[28]
- L Gbezera-Bria was named prime minister on 30 January 1997 to replace Ngoupande, who had been accused of siding with disgruntled soldiers, who had sparked a mutiny on 15 November 1996 to demand higher wages. Ngoupande also didn't strongly support President Patassé's decision to call in French troops to suppress the soldier uprising.[29]
- M President Patassé fired Dologuélé on 1 April 2001 and replaced him with Ziguélé, a senior diplomat who had served as ambassador to Benin for the last two years. Patassé did not provide an explanation for his decision, but political observers state that the nonpartisan Dologuélé had become widely unpopular with the ruling MLPC party.[30]
- N Ziguélé left office when François Bozizé seized power on 15 March 2003.
- O On 11 December 2003, Goumba was dismissed as prime minister and was appointed as vice president.[31]
- P Gaombalet resigned as prime minister on 11 June 2005 after being elected as Speaker of the National Assembly on 7 June.[32]
- Q In mid-January 2008, members of the National Assembly filed a censure motion against the Doté government, in response to countrywide civil service strike initiated by trade unions to protest the government's failure to pay arrears to government employees.[33] On 18 January, Doté announced his resignation as prime minister.[34]
- R Tiangaye resigned with President Michel Djotodia in N'Djamena, Chad on 10 January 2014.[35]
Timeline
