Legal System of Central African Republic

Central African Republic is located in Africa. It is geographically situated in central africa, north of democratic republic of the congo. The country achieved independence on 13 august 1960 (from france). The capital is Bangui.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President Faustin-Archange TOUADÉRA (since 30 March 2016) Head of Government: Prime Minister Félix MOLOUA (since 7 February 2022) Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president Administrative Divisions: 14 prefectures (préfectures, singular - préfecture), 2 economic prefectures* (préfectures économiques, singular - préfecture économique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga National Holiday: Republic Day, 1 December (1958) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Central African Republic is described as civil law system based on the French model International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest constitution passed by a national referendum on 30 July 2023 and validated by the Constitutional Court on 30 August 2023 Amendment Process: proposals require support of the government, two thirds of the National Council of Transition, and assent by the “Mediator of the Central African” crisis; passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote by the National Council membership; non-amendable constitutional provisions include those on the secular and republican form of government, fundamental rights and freedoms, amendment procedures, or changes to the authorities of various high-level executive, parliamentary, and judicial officials

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (number of judges unknown); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, at least 3 of whom are women) Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president; Constitutional Court judge appointments - 2 by the president, 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly, 2 elected by their peers, 2 are advocates elected by their peers, and 2 are law professors elected by their peers; judges serve 7-year non-renewable terms Subordinate Courts: high courts; magistrates’ courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral Note: note 1: on 27 December 2020, the day of first round elections, voting in many electoral areas was disrupted by armed groups; on 13 February 2021, President TOUADERA announced that new first round elections would be held on 27 February 2021 for those areas controlled by armed groups and the second round on 6 March 2021; ultimately, two additional rounds were held on 23 May and 25 July 2021 in areas that continued to suffer from election security problems

note 2: in accordance with article 98 of the constitution published in August 2023, the parliamentary term has increased from five to seven years and will be first applied to the legislature due to be elected in late 2025

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: least one parent must be a citizen of the Central African Republic Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a perennially weak state that sits at the crossroads of ethnic and linguistic groups in the center of the African continent. Among the last areas of Sub-Saharan Africa to be drawn into the world economy, its introduction into trade networks around the early 1700s fostered significant competition among its population. The local population sought to benefit from the lucrative Atlantic, trans-Saharan, and Indian Ocean trade in enslaved people and ivory.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Central African Republic based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.