party presidential elections and was voted out. When Kolingba arrived back from exile in France late last month he was given a huge welcome by supporters. Another strong candidate is Martin Ziguele, who was prime minister under ousted president Patasse. The electoral commission said it did not expect to have any preliminary results until Monday the earliest. One of the main concerns of the voters has been the insecurity plaguing the country. Highway robberies are common, and the so-called liberators from neighbouring Chad, who helped bring Bozize to power, were reportedly behind some of the attacks. During the past year, Bozize has deployed soldiers to fight bandits in the northern and north-western provinces as well as along the eastern border with Sudan. In the run-up to the elections, all candidates promised that if they win, they will strengthen the security and stability of the country. In a parallel election to the parliament, nearly 1,000 candidates were contesting the 105 seats in the national assembly. The Central African Republic (CAR) is poor despite its diamond wealth. The country has experienced 11 attempted coups or mutinies in the last decade alone.
