Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the August 28 decision of the Central African Republic’s (CAR) transitional constitutional court to uphold the transitional national charter clause that precludes current and former senior transitional government members from running in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections currently scheduled for October and November 2015.

We commend the court for its decision, which upholds the rule of law and provides a clear signal to the people of CAR that political authority in their country is bound by the tenets of the interim constitution, not arbitrary decisions. We call upon all members of the transitional government, past and future, to respect the court’s ruling.

The United States further commends the constitutional court for its strong rulings in January and July in favor of including refugees in the elections, an important decision that seeks to ensure that the elections are representative and that CAR’s future is inclusive of its entire population. We call upon the transitional government, including those in charge of elections preparations, to reinforce the spirit of the decision by redoubling efforts to organize and expand elections preparations.