Central African Republic

National Assembly

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes

About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name
Assemblée nationale (National Assembly)
Chamber name
Assemblée nationale (National Assembly)
Structure & status of parliament
Lower chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5

Notes:

In accordance with article 98 of the Constitution promulgated in August 2023, the parliamentary term has increased from five to seven years.

The new term will be first applied to the legislature due to be elected in late 2025.

En vertu de l’article 98 de la Constitution promulguée en août 2023, le mandat parlementaire a été porté de cinq à sept ans.

Le nouveau mandat prendra effet pour la première fois à l’issue des élections législatives qui auront lieu fin 2025.

IPU membership

Affiliation periods
from 1962 to 1965
from 1988 to 1992
from 1994 to 1997
from 2002 to 2002
from 2017
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
African Group

Speaker

Official title
Speaker of the National Assembly
Speaker
Simplice Mathieu Sarandji (Male)
Date of birth: 04 Apr 1955
Term
05 May 2021
Additional information

Elected on 5 May 2021.

Speaker terms

No information available

Secretary general

Official title
Secretary General
Secretary General
Glenne Privat Olympe Dydile (Male)
Term
28 Nov 2023
Notes

Appointed on 28 Nov. 2023.

Members

Statutory number of members
140
Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
Directly elected members
140
Current number of members
140
Men
124
Women
16
Percentage of women
11.4%
Population (in thousands)
5,457
Inhabitants per parliamentarian
38,979

Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.

Average age of all members
No information available
Youngest member
Algoni Ibrahim Alhissen (Male)
Youngest member (years)
27
Oldest member
Auguste Boukanga (Male)
Oldest member (years)
81
Number of members, by age (2021-05)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 2 20 14 22 38 25 1 1 0 123
Female 0 0 2 3 4 4 4 0 0 0 17
Totals per age interval 0 2 22 17 26 42 29 1 1 0 140
Total <= 45: 41 Total >= 46: 99
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
1.4% 1.4% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
17.1% 16% 1.4%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
29.3% 26% 3.6%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No information available
Electoral quota for women
Yes

Notes: Political parties must present a minimum of 35% of women candidates for parliamentary elections. If this is impossible, the Constitutional Court must be notified at least 15 days before the candidature deadline. The Court then has eight days to decide on whether the party can be registered.

Sources: Article 281 of the Electoral Code of the Central African Republic (2019), and articles 7, 8 and 9 of Act 16.004 (24 March 2016). The Act was approved by the National Assembly on 9 November 2016, and enacted on 26 November 2016.

Youth quota
No

Links to additional information

Parliamentary website
List of members
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Constitution

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No