Etudes de l'Ifri - Central African Social Media at the Dawn of the Elections : An Advanced Symptom of a Coming Political Crisis Études de l’Ifri, Ifri, March 2021
Although the Central African Republic remains a very weakly connected country with an Internet penetration rate of 14% in 2020, citizens begin to appropriate the use of social networks.
Largely dominated by elites represented by the political class and members of civil society, social networks are full of new kinds of possibilities for citizen engagement and political communication. On this new ground, inspired by the Russians, the presidential party seems to dominate the game. The opposition has understood the importance of social networks without being fully invested. It has to be noted that the practices of dissemination and amplification of false information, appeared since the Russian communications offensive in the Central African Republic in 2018, are intensified during the election period. By polluting public debate and degrading the political climate, they constitute a new challenge for political actors and election regulators.
This content is available in French : Les réseaux sociaux centrafricains à l’aube des élections : symptôme avancé d’une crise politique à venir [1]