N’DJAMENA, Chad
Chad's new military rulers named a civilian politician, Albert Pahimi Padacke, as prime minister of a transitional government on Monday a week after President Idriss Deby's battlefield death, but opposition leaders quickly dismissed the appointment.
Padacke served as prime minister from 2016 to 2018 and was seen as an ally of Deby, who ruled Chad for 30 years.
A
military council seized power after Deby was killed as he visited troops
fighting rebels on April 19. Opposition politicians have called the military
takeover a coup, and two said on Monday the army had no right to pick a
premier.
The
transition and the wrangling around it is being closely watched in a country
that is a power in central Africa and a longtime Western ally against Islamist
militants across the Sahel.
The
military council is headed by Deby's son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, and has said it
will oversee an 18-month transition to elections. Mahamat Idriss Deby, a
general, has been declared the national president and has dissolved parliament.
But the
council is coming under international pressure to hand over power to civilians
as soon as possible. The African Union has expressed "grave concern"
about the military takeover, while France, the former colonial ruler, and some
of Chad's neighbours are pushing for a civilian-military solution.
The
U.S. State Department said the naming of a civilian prime minister is
"potentially a positive first step in restoring civilian governance,"
adding that Washington is continuing to closely monitor the situation.
"We
would urge that this moment be taken to move the country forward in a
democratic direction and that the people have an opportunity to really have a
democracy, have a representative government," Robert Godec, acting
assistant secretary of the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, told
reporters.
Despite
Padacke's appointment, the council is still likely to be the ultimate
authority.
Although
an ally of the late Deby, Padacke ran against him several times.
He came second with 10% of the vote in an
election on April 11 which was boycotted by several opposition leaders who said
it was rigged. Deby - who took power in a rebellion in 1990 - was declared
winner with about 79% of the vote just before he was killed.
International
human rights groups, who had long criticised Deby's repressive rule, have said
the election campaign was marked by violence and intimidation.
"(Padacke)
was prime minister under Deby and we will not accept for him to lead the
transitional government," said Dinamou Daram, president of the Socialist
Party Without Borders.
"The
junta wants to continue with the system of the old regime. We reject this way
of proceeding," he told reporters.
Yacine
Abderamane, president of the opposition Reformist Party, also rejected
Padacke's nomination.
"It
is not up to the transitional military council to designate a prime minister in
this isolated manner. We want there to be talks between political parties,
civil society and other actors in order to reach a consensus," he said.
A
coalition of civil society groups and opposition politicians has called for a
peaceful protest on Tuesday in N'Djamena to demand a return to
"constitutional order".
One
civil society leader said he was optimistic that Padacke would be open to talks
to ease political tensions.
"He
is a major player who can achieve dialogue with all sides and move the
political process forward toward peaceful elections," said Mahamat Digadimbaye,
national coordinator for civil society and human rights associations.
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