On 15 March 2003 rebels who controlled part of the country moved into Bangui and installed their commander, General François Bozizé, as president, while President Patassé was out of the country.

The election was generally considered to be fair, although the absence of Patassé cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the process.

However, Patassé, who was living in exile in Togo, could not be ruled out as a leader of a future uprising.

In May 2001, there was an unsuccessful coup attempt by Kolingba and once again Patassé had to turn to friends abroad for support, this time Libya and DR Congo were helpful.

This later had disastrous consequences, when Kolingba was replaced by a member of a northerner tribe, Ange-Félix Patassé.

When former President Kolingba attempted a coup d ’ état in 2001 ( which was, according to Patassé, supported by France ), the Movement for the Liberation of Congo ( MLC ) of Jean-Pierre Bemba in DR Congo came to his rescue.

Following Dacko's ouster by André Kolingba in September 1981, Bozizé was appointed Minister of Communications, but fled to the north of the country with 100 soldiers after his involvement in a failed coup attempt led by Ange-Félix Patassé on 3 March 1982, in which he accused Kolingba of treason and proclaimed the change of power on Radio Bangui.

Patassé, Abel Goumba and Kolingba received 37. 32 %, 21. 68 % and 12. 10 % of the vote, respectively, but since none of the candidates obtained a majority, a run-off election between the top two candidates — Patassé and Goumba — was held.

Patassé defeated Goumba by a 53. 49 %– 46. 51 % vote and was elected president of the Central African Republic.

For many years Bozizé was considered a supporter of Patassé and helped him suppress army mutinies in 1996 and 1997.

On 28 May 2001, a coup was attempted against Patassé and defeated with the help of Libyan troops and Congolese rebels of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo.

Patassé was returning from a meeting in Niger at the time, but could not land because Bozizé's forces controlled the airport.

On 4 January 2005, Bozizé announced that three initially excluded candidates would also be allowed to run, although former president Patassé was not included in either group.

In late January, it was announced that more candidates would be permitted to run in the election, bringing the total to 11 and leaving only Patassé barred.

Ange-Félix Patassé ( January 25, 1937 – April 5, 2011 ) was a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 1993 until 2003, when he was deposed by the rebel leader François Bozizé.

Patassé was the first president in the CAR's history ( since 1960 ) to be chosen in what was generally regarded as a fairly democratic election ( 1993 ) in that it was brought about by donor pressure on the Kolingba regime and assisted by the UN Electoral Assistance Unit.

Patassé was ousted in March 2003 and went into exile in Togo.

Patassé was born in Paoua, the capital of the northwestern province of Ouham Pendé in the colony of Ubangi-Shari in French Equatorial Africa, and he belonged to the Sara-Kaba ethnic group which predominates in the region around Paoua.

As Patassé spent much of his youth in Paoua he was associated with the Ouham-Pendé province and many of his most loyal political supporters were Kaba.

After the mutinies, President Patassé suffered from a typical " dictator ’ s paranoia ", resulting in a period of cruel terror executed by the presidential guard and various militia within the FACA loyal to the president, such as the Karako.

The group that finally overthrew President Patassé consisted of – in addition to Bozizé's own rebels – 100 soldiers from Chad's Military.

Some 200 Central African Republic soldiers mutinied in Bangui in May 1996, demanding back pay and the resignation of President Ange-Félix Patassé.

After President Patassé announced a national unity government in early 1997, mutinous troops refused to relinquish a military base in Bangui.

He came to power in March 2003 after leading a rebellion against President Ange-Félix Patassé and ushered in a transitional period of government.

However, during his first term in office ( 1993 – 1999 ), three military mutinies in 1996 – 1997 led to increasing conflict between so-called " northerners " ( like Patassé ) and " southerners " ( like his predecessor President André Kolingba ).

At the opening of the National Assembly, he was elected as President of the National Assembly on June 7, 2005, receiving 78 votes against 18 for Luc Apollinaire Dondon Konamabaye, who had previously held the position under President Ange-Félix Patassé.

He took power from President David Dacko in a bloodless coup d ' état in 1981 and lost power to Ange-Félix Patassé in a democratic election held in 1993.

On 28 May 2001 a coup d ' état was attempted against President Patassé but it failed.

After the overthrow of Patassé, self-proclaimed President François Bozizé declared an amnesty for all those involved in the attempted coup d ' état of 2001.

Ziguélé was appointed as Prime Minister on April 1, 2001 by President Ange-Félix Patassé, replacing Anicet-Georges Dologuélé.

Ziguélé was elected as President of the MLPC on a provisional basis for one year at an extraordinary party congress in late June 2006, while Patassé was suspended from the party.

Patassé was President of the Central African Republic from his election in 1993 to his ouster in 2003.

Ziguélé was elected as President of the MLPC at an extraordinary party congress in late June 2006, while Patassé was suspended from the party for one year.

After Bokassa's creation of the Council for the Central African Revolution ( in imitation of Libya's government council ), Patassé was named a member of the Council of the Revolution with the rank of Prime Minister in charge of Posts and Communications, Tourism, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, as well as Custodian of the Seats of State ( September 4, 1976 – December 14, 1976 ).

Shortly before Bokassa's overthrow, Patassé announced his opposition to the Emperor and founded the Front de Libération du Peuple Centrafricain ( FLPC ; Front for the Liberation of the Central African People

Dacko was regarded by many Central Africans as a puppet of the French and his right to rule was challenged, in particular, by Bokassa's former prime minister, Ange-Félix Patassé who, in addition to belonging to the largest ethnic group in the country, the Gbaya, had residential and kinship ties to other ethnic groups and was the most popular politician in the country.

The elections, the country's first since a victory by Patassé in the September 1999 presidential election, followed a new constitution that took effect in late December 2004, having been approved by the people in a referendum.

In 1993, Ange-Félix Patassé became the first elected president of the country.

decreased during the rule of former president Ange-Félix Patassé.

Chad had also maintained good relations with the previous president, Patassé.

When the old president Kolingba tried to overthrow Patassé in May 2001, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo ( MLC ) came to his rescue.

Bozizé showed no activity against Patassé and frequently crushed revolts against the president.

During his second term as president, Patassé increasingly lost the support of many of his long-time allies as well as the French, who had intervened to support him during his first term in office.

After General François Bozizé overthrew Patassé and proclaimed himself president, Dacko participated in the Dialogue National ( National Dialogue ) that began on September 9, 2003, but shortly thereafter, on September 27, 2003, Dacko had an attack of asthma.

Former president Ange-Félix Patassé, who was overthrown by Bozizé, was excluded from running.

He previously ran for president in 1981, 1993, and 1999 ; in 1993 he came in second place and was defeated by Patassé in the run-off.

In November 2004, former president Ange-Félix Patassé, who presently lives in exile in Togo following his 2003 ouster by Bozizé, was nominated as the presidential candidate of his party, the Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People ( Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple Centrafricain, MLPC ).