Elisabeth Domitien

Who was Elisabeth Domitien?

Elisabeth Domitien was the prime minister of the Central African Republic from 1975 to 1976. She was the first and to date only woman to hold the position.

Domitien began her political career in the Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa, the country's only legal political party at the time, being appointed vice president of the party in 1972. On 2 January 1975, the dictator Jean-Bédel Bokassa formed a new government and introduced the post of prime minister. At first, Domitien was made vice-president of the political party and later was appointed to the position of prime minister. She was the first woman to serve as prime minister of an African nation.

Her relationship with Bokassa soured after he began discussing the possibility of instituting a monarchy with himself as emperor. When Domitien openly rejected the plans, she was promptly fired and her cabinet was dismissed. With the overthrow of the Bokassa monarchy in September 1979, Domitien was arrested and brought to trial on charges of covering up extortion committed by Bokassa during her tenure as prime minister. She served a brief prison term in 1979 and then put on trial in 1980, after which she was prohibited from returning to politics, though she remained a prominent figure, both as a former politician and as a businesswoman.