List of heads of government of the Central African Republic and Central African Empire

There have been 21 heads of government of Central African Republic and the Central African Empire. The office of Prime Minister, the head of government, was created when the Central African Republic became an autonomous territory of France 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 and became a republic 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.

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 Elisabeth Domitien to 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 Andre Kolingba on 1 September 1981. The position, as it exists today, was recreated 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 incumbent Prime Minister is Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who has served since January 2008.

Affiliations

"For heads of government with multiple affiliations, the political party listed first is the party the person was affiliated with at the beginning of his tenure."

Heads of government

See also

*List of heads of state of the Central African Republic and Central African Empire
*Colonial heads of Central Africa (Oubangi-Chari)
*Lists of office-holders

Footnotes

*note label|Note1|A|A Goumba had served as President of the Government Council since 26 July 1958. 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.
*note label|Note1|B|B Boganda was killed in a mysterious plane crash on 29 March 1959, while en route to Bangui. [citation |last= |first= |title=African Leader Found Dead in Crashed Plane |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1 April 1959|page=10.] The exact cause of the crash was not determined, [Harvnb|Kalck|2005|p=27.] but sabotage was widely suspected. [Harvnb|Titley|1997|p=16.] 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.
*note label|Note1|C|C Dacko removed the Prime Minister position and consolidated power in the Presidency.
*note label|Note1|D|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.
*note label|Note1|E|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. [citation|last1= Paxton|first1=Pamela|last2=Hughes|first2=Melanie M.|title=Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective|year=2007|publisher=Pine Forge Press|location=Thousand Oaks, California|page=83|isbn=1-4129-2742-0|oclc=71348673] Bokassa then had her placed under house arrest. [citation|title=The International Dictionary of Women's Biography|last1=Uglow|first1=Jennifer S.|last2=Hinton|first2=Frances|publisher=Macmillan Publishers| location=New York|year=1982|page=148|isbn=0826401929|oclc=8410986.]
*note label|Note1|F|F On 4 December 1976, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the republic a monarchy, the Central African Empire. [Harvnb|Kalck|2005|pp=xxxiv–xxxv.]
*note label|Note1|G|G President Dacko appointed Maïdou as Vice President on 27 September 1979.Harvnb|Kalck|2005|p=200.]
*note label|Note1|H|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.
*note label|Note1|I|I Dacko created the Central African Democratic Union in February 1980 as the country's only political party. [Harvnb|Kalck|2005|p=xxxvii.]
*note label|Note1|J|J Malendoma was removed as Prime Minister and replaced by Lakoué. [Harvnb|Kalck|2005|p=xlvii.]
*note label|Note1|K|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.
*note label|Note1|L|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. [citation|last=Benamsse|first=Joseph|title=New prime minister named in Central African Republic|newspaper=Associated Press|date=30 January 1997.]
*note label|Note1|M|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. [citation|last=Benamsse|first=Joseph|title=President of Central African Republic fires prime minister|newspaper=Associated Press|date=1 April 2001.]
*note label|Note1|N|N Ziguélé left office when François Bozizé seized power on 15 March 2003.
*note label|Note1|O|O On 11 December 2003, Goumba was dismissed as Prime Minister and was appointed as Vice President. [citation|last=|first=|title=New premier forms government, Goumba appointed VP|url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=47669|newspaper=IRIN|date=15 December 2003|accessdate=18 June 2008.]
*note label|Note1|P|P Gaombalet resigned as Prime Minister on 11 June 2005 after being elected as Speaker of the National Assembly on 7 June. [citation|last=|first=|title=Bozize inaugurated, prime minister appointed |url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=54890|newspaper=IRIN|date=13 June 2005|accessdate=18 June 2008.]
*note label|Note1|Q|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. [citation |last=Kreutzer|first=Tino|title=CAR government resigns amid wages crisis|url=http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/14886|newspaper=AfricaNews|date=19 January 2008|accessdate=18 June 2008.] On 18 January, Doté announced his resignation as Prime Minister. [citation |last=|first=|title=Maths professor becomes CAR PM
url=http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2256517,00.html|newspaper=News24|date=22 January 2008|accessdate=18 June 2008.]

References

;General
*citation|editor1-last=Appiah|editor1-first=K. Anthony|editor1-link=Kwame Anthony Appiah|editor2-last=Gates|editor2-first=Henry Louis, Jr.|editor2-link=Henry Louis Gates, Jr.|year=1999|title=Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience|publisher=Basic Books|location=New York|edition=1st|isbn=0-465-00071-1|oclc=41649745.
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External links

* [http://africanelections.tripod.com/cf.html Elections in the Central African Republic]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1067615.stm BBC News Timeline: Central African Republic]