Two former candidates, who were eliminated in the first round of Central African Republic's presidential polls, pledged their support for incumbent Francois Bozize on Thursday, buoying his chances in a May run-off. Bozize, a former army chief who seized power in a coup in March 2003, won 43 percent of the vote in the impoverished former French colony on March 13. He faces former prime minister Martin Ziguele, who took 23.5 percent of the vote, on May 8. The man who came third in the first vote, former army chief and president Andre Kolingba, is expected to announce who he will support on Saturday. Kolingba was originally seen as the main challenger to Bozize, widely viewed as the favourite, but he only secured 16.4 percent of the vote in March. The elections are meant to end military rule in the diamond-rich but poverty-stricken country. A second round was called last month after no candidate won an outright majority. --More 0053 Local Time 2153 GMT
