The Emperor of Central Africa (French: Empereur de Centrafrique)was the monarch of the Central African Empire from 1976 to 1979. President Jean-Bédel Bokassa proclaimed himself Emperor Bokassa I on 4 December 1976, and was crowned on 4 December 1977 in a lavish coronation ceremony that was estimated to cost his country US$20 million ($80 million today). Although nominally a constitutional monarch, in practice Bokassa ruled with absolute power. For all intents and purposes, the country was still a military dictatorship, as had been the case since Bokassa took power in the 1966 coup d'état.