Elections took place in the Central African Republic (CAR)  on Sunday, with President Faustin-Archange Touadera eyeing a third term.

Touadera, widely expected to win, has focused his campaign on security and stability in one of the world's poorest nations, long plagued by conflict.

Quadruple election in CAR

Over two million voters are expected to cast their ballots in the multilevel election to choose the president along with national, regional and municipal lawmakers.

Polling closed at 7 p.m. local time (1700 UTC) on Sunday.

Preliminary results for the elections are expected by January 5.

The opposition field includes six candidates, led by former prime ministers Anicet-Georges Dologuele and Henri-Marie Dondra.

Touadera's allies had unsuccessfully tried to have them disqualified for allegedly holding foreign citizenship.

Russian mercenaries entrenched in Africa

Touadera's bid for a third term follows a 2023 constitutional referendum that removed the previous two-term presidential limit.

Opponents and critics say the 68-year-old wants to maintain his grip on power for life.

Touadera, a mathematician, was first elected in 2016 amid a deadly civil war.

He was reelected in 2020 even as he faced allegations of fraud and an attempt by six rebel groups to overthrow the government.

During his decade in office, Touadera has relied on Russian mercenaries and Rwandan soldiers for security support.

CAR was the first country in West and Central Africa to bring in Russia's Wagner mercenaries in 2018.

Security has been a central theme in Touadera's tenure and campaign. During this year's electoral campaign, mercenaries were deployed alongside the police and army in the streets of the capital, Bangui.

CAR has seen unrest ease after Touadera signed peace deals with several rebel groups earlier this year. But the president says the security gains are fragile.

Feuds are still ongoing between armed groups and the government in some regions, while the disarmament and reintegration of rebels remain incomplete.

A smooth vote could bolster Touadera's claims that stability is returning to the country.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse