Editor's Note: This op-ed originally appeared in TIME and was written by Enough Project Field Researcher, Kasper Agger.
Think the ultimate victor in the U.S. presidential race faces a tough task? The effort to unite a divided America pales in comparison to what lies ahead for Faustin Archange Touadéra, a mathematics professor by tradewho was elected president of the Central African Republic (CAR) last week. Touadéra received a strong mandate from the population, capturing 63% of the votes. The nation’s troubles are, however, far from over, and his immense to-do list might scare many heads of state into early retirement.
CAR is an unstable country marred by decades of military coups and lawlessness—it ranks second lowest on the U.N.’s Human Development Index. Despite the enormous challenges of ruling such a country, few of Touadéra’s predecessors were willing to relinquish command. Historically, the rulers of CAR have sought to hold onto power—and their consequent control over the country’s massive natural resource wealth—by any means necessary. This has meant bringing in soldiers from neighboring countries, muzzling the press and brutally crushing any dissent.