BANGUI: Voters in the Central African Republic cast their ballots for a new president on Sunday, with incumbent Faustin-Archange Touadera widely expected to win a third term after touting his success in steadying a nation long plagued by conflict.

Around 2.3 million people are eligible to vote, with parliamentary, municipal and regional polls taking place at the same time.

Escorted by members of the presidential guard, Touadera arrived at a high school to cast his own ballot.

He urged people to vote “to allow our country to develop, to allow our country to regain peace and security.”

“It’s a very important issue,” Touadera, 68, told reporters.

Streets in the capital Bangui were quiet, with armored vehicles of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA deployed at road junctions.

Heavy security was posted outside voting stations, and helicopters flew overhead at a school near where Touadera was voting, while a long queue had formed. Since Touadera was first elected in 2016, in the middle of a civil war, the CAR has seen unrest ease despite feuds between armed groups and the government in some regions.

“We need a leader elected by the people, not someone who takes power by force,” teacher Julie Odjoubi, 44, said, her left thumb stained with purple ink to show she had voted.

Touadera is in pole position to win in a seven-strong field, after a new constitution was adopted in 2023.