BANGUI – Central African Republic residents turned out in enormous numbers for presidential and legislative elections Sunday, the top of the U.N. mission mentioned, regardless of rebels opening fireplace in some areas to attempt to scare away voters.

Insurgent teams hostile to President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who’s searching for a second time period, have carried out assaults and threatened to march to the capital and disrupt the election after the constitutional court docket this month rejected a number of candidates, together with former President Francois Bozize.

Touadera is taken into account the favourite within the area of 17 candidates. Vote counting started Sunday and full provisional outcomes are anticipated by the top of the week.

The election will go to a second spherical if no candidate receives greater than 50% of the vote.

After a gradual begin and sporadic gunfire in some cities, the top of the U.N. mission within the nation mentioned in a press release that there was an enormous turnout. He didn’t present particulars.

“This morning, they (rebels) began firing, hoping to scare folks away from voting. Sure, in sure areas, it’s tough however in lots of different areas, you’ll be able to see folks going out massively to vote,” Mankeur Ndiaye mentioned.

There are issues {that a} substantial variety of the 1.8 million registered voters within the sparsely populated nation bigger than France weren’t have the ability to vote in distant cities, some managed by armed rebels.

Heavy gunfire was reported within the city of Bouar, round 435 km (270 miles) northwest of the capital, a resident mentioned. Gunfire additionally disrupted voting in different cities together with Bossangoa within the northwest, and Bria within the east.

“The vote mustn’t solely happen in Bangui. I believe that the elections ought to have been postponed. However as it’s the regulation, it’s my obligation. I’m coming to vote for my president,” mentioned 31-year-old Thierry Yanga, who voted within the capital.

The constitutional court docket Saturday rejected an attraction from a number of opposition candidates for the election to be postponed. The federal government and a U.N. mission had rejected a postponement, fearing an influence vacuum.

Waves of violence

The disaster has left many within the diamond- and gold-rich nation of 4.7 million exhausted, whereas stirring fears of a return to the worst violence of its latest previous, which incorporates 5 coups and quite a few rebellions since independence from France in 1960.

Touadera was first elected in 2016 following a revolt three years earlier that ousted Bozize. He has struggled to wrest management of huge swathes of the nation from armed militias.

Successive waves of violence since 2013 have killed hundreds and compelled greater than 1,000,000 from their properties.

Touadera and the United Nations, which has greater than 12,800 uniformed peacekeepers in CAR, have accused Bozize of being behind the insurgent offensive, which briefly seized the nation’s fourth largest metropolis final week and has led to a wave of desertions from the military.

Bozize’s candidacy was rejected as a result of he faces an arrest warrant and U.N. sanctions for allegedly ordering assassinations and torture whereas president. Bozize has denied these expenses.

Touadera’s worldwide safety companions have responded to the newest violence by sending extra troops and gear, together with 300 Russian navy instructors and 300 Rwandan peacekeepers.