Anicet-Georges Dologuélé, an opponent and former prime minister, has accused President Faustin Archange Touadéra of authoritarian drift and isolation. Dologuélé stated that the president has progressively locked himself in an ivory tower, a move he believes is accompanied by a growing distance from citizens. This drift is indeed accompanied by a growing distance from citizens, a situation that Dologuélé finds concerning. "Il se voit désormais comme un dieu" (He now sees himself as a god), Dologuélé claimed.
President's Growing Detachment
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, once a modest candidate in 2016, is now inaccessible, protected by arms, and convinced of his impunity, according to Anicet-Georges Dologuélé. Dologuélé claims the president has abandoned direct exchanges with Central African citizens, asserting that this isolation has become durable over the years. There is no sign of a return to proximity visible today, Dologuélé added. The president avoids any proximity with the population, a stark contrast to his persona during the 2016 campaign. This intense protection reinforces a sense of invincibility in him, Dologuélé concluded, noting that the security bubble severely limits the president's contact with the general population. This situation, Dologuélé argues, demonstrates a profound shift from his earlier public engagements.
Impunity and Shifting Power
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra now acts with a total sense of impunity, according to Anicet-Georges Dologuélé. Dologuélé stated that this transformation progresses as state resources flow into public coffers, altering the perception of the presidential role due to access to considerable means. Dologuélé claims access to considerable means has altered the perception of the presidential role. He added that abundant finances often change the relationship with power, yet the population perceives no concrete benefits from this wealth. Dologuélé claims the president no longer feels the need to explain his decisions and does not account for his management. He also does not account for his management, according to Dologuélé. Human contacts have disappeared from his mode of governance, Dologuélé said, noting that this detachment is now exercised in the face of the country's daily difficulties. This lack of accountability, Dologuélé suggests, is a direct consequence of the president's growing sense of impunity.
Consequences for Governance
The gap between the rulers and the ruled continues to widen, according to Anicet-Georges Dologuélé. Dologuélé stated that this evolution fuels a sense of rupture among many Central Africans. He added that a growing distance between the power and the "real country" is evident. This device translates a growing distance between the power and the real country, impacting governance at all levels. Local administrations, Dologuélé claimed, struggle to relay their concerns to the Renaissance palace, noting the increasing isolation. The inability of local administrations to communicate effectively with the central government shows the severity of this detachment.
Dologuélé's Perspective
Anicet-Georges Dologuélé describes a profound transformation of power in Bangui, asserting that President Faustin-Archange Touadéra's authoritarian drift is accompanied by a growing sense of impunity. His isolation from power, Dologuélé claims, distances citizens from governance. The accumulation of security measures around the president, including territorial battalions, militias, and foreign troops that now surround the head of state, fuels this disconnection. This protection reinforces a sense of invincibility in him. This security bubble further distances him from the daily expectations of Central Africans. Citizens, according to Dologuélé, no longer have access to their leader during his travels. This device translates a growing distance between the power and the real country. The opponent concludes that this distant governance weakens citizens' trust. According to the opponent, this distant governance weakens citizens' trust, creating a chasm between the leadership and the populace.