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This article lists the heads of government of the Central African Republic. 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 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.
| Prime Minister of the Central African Republic | |
|---|---|
| Premier Ministre de la République Centrafricaine (French) | |
 | |
| Seat | Bangui |
| Appointer | Faustin-Archange Touadéra, as President of the Central African Republic |
| Inaugural holder | David Dacko |
| Formation | 13 August 1960 |
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 Andre 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.
According to a ceasefire agreement signed between the government and the Séléka rebel coalition on 11 January 2013, President François Bozizé was required to appoint a new Prime Minister from the political opposition after the National Assembly of the Central African Republic is dissolved and legislative elections are held. According to the agreement, this will happen on 11 January 2014 at the latest.[1] Nicolas Tiangaye, who was selected as prime minister by the opposition and rebels, was appointed as prime minister on 17 January 2013.[2]
The current Prime Minister of the Central African Republic is Félix Moloua, since 7 February 2022.[3]
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- Political parties
- Other affiliations
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political affiliations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Founder of the MESAN party;[4] negotiated for the independence of Oubangui-Chari and named the country the "Central African Republic".[5] | |
| — |  |
Abel Goumba (1926–2009) |
30 March 1959[6] | 30 April 1959 | 31 days | MESAN | Served as Acting Prime Minister; had an internal struggle for power with Dacko after Boganda's death. | |
| 2 |  |
David Dacko (1930–2003) |
1 May 1959[6] | 13 August 1960 | 1 year, 104 days | MESAN | Seized power from Goumba, with the support of high commissioner Roger Barberot, the Bangui chamber of commerce and Boganda's widow, Michelle Jourdain.[7] | |
| Central African Republic (1960–1976; independent) | ||||||||
| 1 | |
David Dacko (1930–2003) |
13 August 1960[6] | 14 August 1960[C] | 1 day | MESAN | Also served as head of state (President) upon independence.[8] | |
| Post abolished (14 August 1960 – 1 January 1975) | ||||||||
| 2 |  |
Elisabeth Domitien (1925–2005) |
2 January 1975[D][9] | 7 April 1976[E][10] | 1 year, 96 days | MESAN | First female head of government in Africa.[11] | |
| Vacant (8 April 1976 – 4 September 1976) | ||||||||
| 3 |  |
Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) |
5 September 1976[10][12] | 3 December 1976[F] | 89 days | MESAN | Later served as President (1993–2003).[13] | |
| Central African Empire (1976–1979) | ||||||||
| 1 | |
Ange-Félix Patassé (1937–2011) |
8 December 1976[14] | 14 July 1978 | 1 year, 218 days | MESAN | ||
| 2 |  |
Henri Maïdou (born 1936) |
14 July 1978[10] | 21 September 1979[14] | 1 year, 69 days | MESAN | Wrote a letter on 4 September 1979 to the French government officials, asking them to put an end to Bokassa's tyrannical rule.[15] Less than three weeks later, the French successfully executed Operation Barracuda, toppling the Bokassa regime. | |
| Central African Republic (1979–present) | ||||||||
| 4 | |
Henri Maïdou (born 1936) |
21 September 1979 | 26 September 1979[G] | 5 days | MESAN | ||
| 5 |  |
Bernard Ayandho (1930–1993) |
26 September 1979[16] | 22 August 1980[H] | 331 days | MESAN | Previously served as a Minister of Economy.[17] | |
| UDC[I] | ||||||||
| Vacant (23 August 1980 – 11 November 1980) | ||||||||
| 6 |  |
Jean-Pierre Lebouder (born 1944) |
12 November 1980[16] | 4 April 1981[18] | 143 days | UDC | Minister of Economy and Finance in Gaombalet's government from 2003–2004.[19] | |
| 7 | |
Simon Narcisse Bozanga (1942–2010) |
4 April 1981 | 1 September 1981[16] | 150 days | UDC | Served as secretary general and Minister of Justice in the Dacko government.[20] | |
| Post abolished (2 September 1981 – 14 March 1991) | ||||||||
| 8 | |
Édouard Frank (born 1934) |
15 March 1991[16] | 4 December 1992[21] | 1 year, 264 days | RDC | Served as the president of the Central African Republic Supreme Court. Declared Patassé the winner of the 1993 presidential election.[22] | |
| 9 | |
Timothée Malendoma (1935–2010) |
4 December 1992 | 26 February 1993[J] | 84 days | FC | Minister of the National Economy in Bokassa's government and Minister of State under Dacko.[23] | |
| 10 | |
Enoch Derant Lakoué (born 1945) |
26 February 1993 | 25 October 1993 | 241 days | PSD | Candidate from the PSD in the 1993 and 1999 presidential elections.[24][25] Later served as the head of the national administration of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC).[26] | |
| 11 | |
Jean-Luc Mandaba (1943–2000) |
25 October 1993[27] | 12 April 1995[K] | 1 year, 169 days | MLPC | Minister of Health under Kolingba and Vice President of the MLPC.[28] | |
| 12 | |
Gabriel Koyambounou (born 1947) |
12 April 1995[29] | 6 June 1996 | 1 year, 55 days | MLPC | Inspector in the civil service prior to becoming prime minister.[29] | |
| 13 | |
Jean-Paul Ngoupandé (1948–2014) |
6 June 1996[21] | 30 January 1997 | 238 days | PUN | Former ambassador to France.[30] | |
| 14 | |
Michel Gbezera-Bria (born 1946) |
30 January 1997[L] | 4 January 1999 | 1 year, 339 days | Independent | Previously served as foreign minister.[31] | |
| 15 | .jpg) |
Anicet-Georges Dologuélé (born 1957) |
4 January 1999[32] | 1 April 2001[M] | 2 years, 87 days | Independent | Minister of Finance and Budget in Gbezera-Bria's government.[33] | |
| 16 |  |
Martin Ziguélé (born 1957) |
1 April 2001 | 15 March 2003[N] | 1 year, 348 days | MLPC | Finished second place to incumbent François Bozizé in the first round of the 2005 presidential elections,[34] but lost the second round run-off.[35] Elected to three-year term as President of MLPC in June 2007.[36] | |
| 17 | |
Abel Goumba (1926–2009) |
23 March 2003[37] | 11 December 2003[O] | 263 days | FPP | Acting Prime Minister following Boganda's death in 1959.[21] Vice President from 11 December 2003 to 15 March 2005. | |
| 18 |  |
Célestin Gaombalet (1942–2017) |
12 December 2003 | 11 June 2005[P] | 1 year, 181 days | Independent | Former director-general of Union Bank in Central Africa (UBAC), worked for the Development Bank of Central African States in Congo-Brazzaville, headed the Moroccan-Central African People's Bank (BMPC).[38] Subsequently, the Speaker of the National Assembly.[39] | |
| 19 |  |
Élie Doté (born 1947) |
13 June 2005[40] | 18 January 2008[Q] | 2 years, 219 days | Independent | Became finance minister in September 2006 cabinet reshuffle, while maintaining his post as prime minister.[41] | |
| 20 |  |
Faustin-Archange Touadéra (born 1957) |
22 January 2008[42] | 17 January 2013[43] | 4 years, 361 days | Independent | Holds two doctoral degrees in mathematics. Served as vice-chancellor of the University of Bangui from May 2004 until being appointed as prime minister.[44] Later served as President (2016–present). | |
| 21 |  |
Nicolas Tiangaye (born 1956) |
17 January 2013[2] | 10 January 2014[R] | 358 days | Independent | Served as President of the National Transitional Council (CNT) from 2003 to 2005. | |
| — |  |
André Nzapayeké (born 1951) |
25 January 2014 | 10 August 2014[45] | 197 days | Independent | Serving as Acting Prime Minister; former Executive Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and vice president of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC).[46][47] | |
| — | .jpg) |
Mahamat Kamoun (born 1961) |
10 August 2014 | 2 April 2016 | 1 year, 236 days | Independent | Heading a transitional government until the full implementation of the peace deal. | |
| 22 | .jpg) |
Simplice Sarandji (born 1955) |
2 April 2016 | 27 February 2019 | 2 years, 331 days | Independent | ||
| 23 |  |
Firmin Ngrébada (born 1968) |
27 February 2019 | 15 June 2021 | 2 years, 108 days | Independent | ||
| MCU | ||||||||
| 24 |  |
Henri-Marie Dondra (born 1966) |
15 June 2021 | 7 February 2022 | 237 days | Independent | ||
| 25 |  |
Félix Moloua (born 1957) |
7 February 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 323 days | MCU | ||
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- A Goumba had served as President of the Government Council since 26 July 1958.[6] 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.[48] The exact cause of the crash was not determined,[49] but sabotage was widely suspected.[50] 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.[11]
- 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.[51] Bokassa then had her placed under house arrest.[52]
- F On 4 December 1976, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the republic a monarchy, the Central African Empire.[53]
- G President Dacko appointed Maïdou as Vice President on 27 September 1979.[21]
- 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.[16]
- I Dacko created the Central African Democratic Union in February 1980 as the country's only political party.[54]
- J Malendoma was removed as prime minister and replaced by Lakoué.[55]
- 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.[56]
- 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.[57]
- 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.[58]
- P Gaombalet resigned as prime minister on 11 June 2005 after being elected as Speaker of the National Assembly on 7 June.[59]
- 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.[60] On 18 January, Doté announced his resignation as prime minister.[61]
- R Tiangaye resigned with President Michel Djotodia in N'Djamena, Chad on 10 January 2014.[62]
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