▁coron ation ▁ceremony , ▁and ▁rég ime ▁were ▁largely ▁inspired ▁by ▁Nap ol éon ▁I , ▁who ▁had ▁converted ▁the ▁French ▁First ▁Republic , ▁of ▁which ▁he ▁was ▁First ▁Cons ul , ▁into ▁the ▁First ▁French ▁Empire . ▁The ▁coron ation ▁ceremony ▁was ▁estimated ▁to ▁cost ▁his ▁country ▁roughly ▁  – ▁one - third ▁of ▁the ▁country ' s ▁budget ▁and ▁all ▁of ▁France ' s ▁aid ▁for ▁that ▁year . ▁ ▁B ok assa ▁attempted ▁to ▁justify ▁his ▁actions ▁by ▁claim ing ▁that ▁creating ▁a ▁mon archy ▁would ▁help ▁Central ▁Africa ▁" stand ▁out " ▁from ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁the ▁continent , ▁and ▁ear n ▁the ▁world ' s ▁respect . ▁Despite ▁inv itations , ▁no ▁foreign ▁leaders ▁attended ▁the ▁event . ▁Many ▁thought ▁B ok assa ▁was ▁ins ane ▁and ▁compared ▁his ▁e got ist ical ▁extra v ag ance ▁with ▁that ▁of ▁Africa ' s ▁other ▁well - known ▁ecc ent ric ▁dict ator   – ▁Field ▁Marsh al ▁Id i ▁A min . ▁ ▁Although ▁it ▁was ▁claimed ▁that ▁the ▁new ▁emp ire ▁would ▁be ▁a ▁constitution al ▁mon archy , ▁in ▁practice ▁the ▁country ▁remained ▁a ▁military ▁dict ator ship ▁that ▁acts ▁like ▁an ▁absolute ▁mon archy ▁instead . ▁Emperor ▁B ok assa ▁retained ▁the ▁dict atorial ▁powers ▁he ▁had ▁possessed ▁as ▁president , ▁and ▁M ES AN ▁remained ▁the ▁only ▁leg ally ▁permitted ▁party . ▁Supp ression ▁of ▁diss ent ers ▁remained ▁w ides p read , ▁and ▁tort ure ▁was ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁especially ▁r amp