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| - A former transitional president in the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba Panza, who led the country though a chaotic post-coup period, said Friday she would run in elections scheduled for December. Samba Panza, 64, made the announcement to supporters in the capital Bangui, in which she stressed that she had "led this country in particularly difficult conditions." A lawyer by training, Samba Panza was named interim president in January 2014, months after predominantly Muslim groups overthrew the country's president, François Bozize, a Christian, plunging the country into sectarian violence. She was the first woman to be named head of state of the CAR, a deeply poor country that has experienced repeated coups and war since independence from France 60 years ago. She stepped down in 2016, handing over to Faustin-Archange Touadera, who won elections in March that year and is expected to compete for a second term in December. Bozize, who returned to the country last December, has also announced his candidacy. The vote is taking place in a country where violence remains entrenched and militia groups still control two-thirds of the territory. vi-clt/js/ri/er
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