The return to democratic elections in 1993 after Gen. Kolingba's single-party rule brought in Ange-FΘlix Patasse as president. He was Bokassa's prime minister in the 1970s, but was jailed for dissent and subsequently went into exile in Paris. His party, the MLPC, is the most important in the new parliament but can govern only in coalition with others, notably the CFD grouping led by Abel Goumba, a veteran opposition figure. Balancing coalitions can be a problem in the CAR û it was the confusion of alliances in Dacko's government which led to Kolingba's coup in 1981. Grave economic problems, which have left civil servants unpaid, are the major political concern.
