This is virtual roundtable is on-invite only.

The Egmont Institute will host a virtual roundtable bringing together policy officials and experts to discuss the possible impact of the electoral process in the Central African Republic (CAR) on the ongoing peace process. Presidential and legislative elections, which are due to take place in December 2020, pose a potential threat to the relative peace seen since the signing of the Khartoum Agreement and may have the potential to reverse progress made over the last year.  Already we are seeing growing political tensions, as former leaders return to CAR in preparation for the election. There are fears that a significant breakdown of the Khartoum Peace Agreement could occur as a result of the tensions and dynamics of the elections. So elections may prove counterproductive in this context unless significant action is taken by the international community to prepare the country to address these arising challenges.

The CAR authorities and international interveners like the EU and UN have a role to play in the organisation of the upcoming elections, in a context which has recently been further complicated by the COVID-19 crisis, and in upholding the commitments made in the Khartoum Peace Agreement. This meeting is therefore about the `extra mile` that is required to turn elections in the CAR into a political success and a next step on the road to stability and peace. In other words, the question we will examine is `what is needed in terms of support and investment to increase the chances that the peace process survives the elections’?