Attempts to foster reconciliation in Central African Republic could be derailed if refugees who fled to neighbouring states after the coup are unable to cast votes in the upcoming presidential election, billed as a major peacebuilding milestone. Around 470,000 Central Africans (10% of the population) are refugees in Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. CAR’s constitutional court overturned parliament’s earlier decision to exclude the refugees and ruled that all citizens should be allowed to vote in the 18 October election, whether they reside in the country or elsewhere. But eight weeks later, there are still no measures in place to allow the estimated 198,000 eligible refugee voters to actually cast their votes. The interim president, who steps down after the election, is opposed to allowing refugees to vote because of the organisational and logistical difficulties it would involve.