Polls open in Chad’s general elections amid boycott
epa11320949 Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby (C) casts his vote in the presidential elections in N’Djamena, Chad, 06 May 2024. Over eight millions citizens in Chad, a landlocked and arid country of 18 million people in Central Africa, are eligible to cast their votes for the presidential elections on 06 May 2024 according the the national agency in charge of elections. EPA-EFE/JEROME FAVRE
Voting in Chad’s general elections began on December 29, according to Anadolu Ajansı. Citizens are set to vote to elect representatives to three levels of government: federal, provincial, and local. These elections will then form a new parliamentary system. Polls open amid a boycott by the main opposition Les Transformateurs, who are stating the results of the election have been rigged by the current government.
The elections are occurring alongside severe geopolitical tensions, this includes the removal of French forces after the ending of their military cooperation agreement, and allegations against Chad of interference in the current Sudanese conflict. As well as this, the region is under sustained threat following recurring terror threats from the Boko Haram terror group in Lake Chad.
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According to the National Agency for the Management of Elections (ANGE), over 8 million voters in Chad are registered. This is a fairly low number as the total population is approximately 18.28 million.
The results are expected to be declared in mid-January.
Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno 40 has led Chad since 2021, following his father, Idriss Deby Itnos death. He began his five-year term in a widely contested May 2024 election, labelled fraudulent by the opposition.
Issa Doubragne, spokesperson for the current government, The Patriotic Movement for Salvation (MPS), stated on the party’s official website: “We are fighting tooth and nail to get the majority. We elected Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno with 61% of the vote, and we must provide him with the resources he requires to carry out his plan.”
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Les Transformateurs, led by Succes Masra, an economist politician and former prime minister between January 1 to May 22, 2024, will completely boycott the elections.” The results are already in the computers, and everything has been decided beforehand. We refuse to serve as extras and urge Chadians not to vote,” Masra stated via Facebook.
The new parliamentary system is set to be made up of a National Assembly with 188 deputies and a Senate with 69 members, one-third of which will be appointed directly by the President.
The National Transitional Council implemented this new structure on July 29, 2024, off the back of recommendations from the Inclusive National Dialogue.
The diaspora, over 45,000 soldiers, and 200,000 nomads from across the country, will vote in the elections.
Anadolu Ajansı.
