N’DJAMENA, Chad
Chad is set to become the first of Africa's current junta-led states to move to democratic rule with Monday's presidential vote.
It will end a three-year
transition imposed after the sudden death of long-serving leader Idriss Déby
Itno while fighting rebels.
But as his son, and successor,
Gen Mahamat Déby is one of the favourites to win, there is some scepticism
about whether this will bring about change.
Prime Minister Succès Masra is
among his nine challengers and is seen as his biggest rival.
The start of voting was marked
by delays, with polls opening an hour behind schedule in some areas.
President Déby kicked off the
exercise by casting his ballot in the capital, N’Djamena.
He said he was proud to have
fulfilled his promise to respect the deadline for “elections that will signal a
return to constitutional order.”
“It’s up to the Chadian people
to vote massively and choose their president,” he added.
“We will vote. It’s our duty…
even if it takes time,” said one voter, who stood in a long queue waiting to
cast his ballot.
Ten other politicians who had
been hoping to run, including two prominent figures, Nassour Ibrahim Neguy
Koursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh, were excluded by the constitutional council
because of “irregularities”. For example, Mr Koursami was accused of forgery.
But some have argued that the
decision to bar certain people was politically motivated.
Another potential opponent,
Yaya Dillo, was killed by security forces in February while allegedly leading
an attack on the National Security Agency in the capital, N’Djamena.
Activists have called for a
boycott of the election that they termed a ploy to lend a sheen of democratic
legitimacy to the Déby dynasty.
Many are still in exile
following a deadly crackdown on opponents following protests in October 2022.
Nevertheless, Chad’s election
is a milestone for countries in West and Central Africa that have fallen under
military rule since a spate of coups began in 2020.
It may serve as a template for
juntas seeking to maintain political influence after first coming to power
illegitimately.
The oil-exporting country of
nearly 18 million people has not had a free-and-fair transfer of power since
independence from France in 1960.
Idriss Déby overthrew Hissène
Habré in 1990 and remained in charge for the following three decades until his
battlefield death in April 2021 at the age of 68.
His son, now 40, took over in
what opponents described as a constitutional coup and initially pledged to stay
on as interim leader for just 18 months, a period that was later extended. He
also said that he would not run for president.
General Déby has tried to
dismiss concerns that he is part of a dynasty.
“If I am elected, I will serve
my five-year term and at the end of my term, it will be up to the people to
judge me. As for a dynasty, our constitution is very clear – a candidate cannot
serve more than two successive terms, “ he told the France 24 TV channel.
Mr Masra, who is also 40, was
named prime minister by Gen Déby in January after a deal was brokered to mend
political fractures from the October 2022 protests.
The economist has been accused by some of betraying the opposition but he has dismissed rumours of a secret post-election power-sharing agreement with Gen Déby.
He has urged Chadians to vote
for him to end six decades of “obscurity” and “darkness”.
People are desperate for
change in Chad.
But when it comes to the vote,
there is a mixture of hope and despair.
Hope that this vote, whoever
wins, could spark a new era of young leadership in the country, but despair as
over the past three decades, life has become tougher for many in the country.
The results are expected to be
released by 21 May, but a second round could be held in June if no candidate
gains more than 50% of the vote in the first round.
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