Central African Republic: Court rules refugees have right to vote

Central African Republic's highest court has overturned a decision by the transitional parliament that would have barred tens of thousands of refugees in neighboring countries from voting in October's presidential election.

The court, in a decision made public on state radio on Tuesday, said parliament's June 30 decision to exclude refugees violated the 2013 Constitution which gives every adult citizen the right to vote.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says there are some 460,000 Central African refugees who fled the religious violence that erupted after the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in early 2013.

Some 80 to 90 percent of the refugees are believed to be Muslims who fled a backlash against Seleka's 10-month rule by a Christian militia, known as the 'anti-balaka'.

"The issue of technical and material organization should not allow us to deny to Central African citizens who fear for their lives, their right to vote," said the ruling by the Constitution Court, seen by Reuters.

UNHCR and other U.N. humanitarian bodies had voiced concern about the transitional assembly's decision. The refugees represent the majority of Muslims from a Christian-dominated population of around 4.5 million people.

Ongoing insecurity prevents many Muslims from going home, rights groups say.

Members of the transitional assembly had argued that allowing refugees to vote could lead to electoral fraud as they said Seleka had distributed Central African identity documents to foreigners.

A common refrain in the 'anti-balaka'-led reprisals against Muslims was that they were foreigners who had no place in Central African Republic.

Interim President Catherine Samba Panza, who is due to step down at the elections scheduled for Oct. 18, had opposed the decision by the transitional assembly and requested the court's opinion.

The court noted that, under the country's transitional charter, there is no appeal against its decisions.

An electoral census is under way in Bangui and has been extended until July 27. No census of refugee populations have been undertaken in neighboring countries, however.

In a sign of the violence still simmering in Central African Republic, the deputy prefect and the mayor of the western town of Baboua - on the main road from Cameroon - were kidnapped on Sunday by armed men, state radio said.

The U.N. mission (MINUSCA) said the rebel Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC) - a splinter group from Seleka led by Abdoulaye Miskine - was responsible for an increase in attacks in the region.

It said the driver of a U.N. food truck was shot dead in an ambush on Saturday.

-www.reuters.com/