Martin Ziguélé, former prime minister and leader of the MLPC opposition party (Mouvement de libération du peuple centrafricain), has publicly criticised the political and economic situation in the Central African Republic more than two weeks after President Faustin Archange Touadéra's inauguration into the country's Seventh Republic. Ziguélé warned that the share of Central Africans living below the poverty line has risen from 52% in 2016 to 67% in 2026, citing shortages of water and electricity, collapsed road networks, and the near-total decline of once-significant cotton and coffee sectors. He insisted that inclusive political dialogue between the government and opposition is not optional but essential, contrasting his assessment with the positive account of his tenure that Touadéra presented at his 30 March inauguration.