Chadians are voting in parliamentary, provincial and municipal elections for the first time in more than a decade, continuing to pressure the former government that was replaced by a government to put the Central African nation on the path to democracy. But members of the opposition parties are skeptical.
Officials in N'djamena say Sunday's vote will end three years of “transformation” that followed the 2021 death of former leader Idriss Deby Itno and the violent coup of his son, Mahamat Idriss Debywho was confirmed as the country's leader after the election in May.
However, many opposition parties are boycotting the elections, which they call “garbage” and accuse the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) government of wanting to accept what they say is a political dynasty.
Chad, one of the poorest countries in Africa, is the first in the list of countries that have been conquered in the Sahel to hold elections as promised, even if the elections are delayed. The country is no stranger to terrorist or repressive governments and has been ruled by the Deby family since 1991.
Sunday's vote comes amid many security challenges: Sudan's war is raging on its eastern border; the Boko Haram army is attacking a military base near Lake Chad; and N'Djamena he has recently broken the armistice and former colonial master and powerful ally, France.
Rights groups say that without all the opposition, the election will not be fair.
“It will be difficult to have a credible election without inclusion,” Isa Sanusi, head of Amnesty International in neighboring Nigeria, told Al Jazeera. “The fact that some are boycotting the elections shows that there needs to be a review of the policies and procedures to ensure that there is enough participation for all Chadians.”
Here's what you need to know about the parliamentary elections and why this country's democratic movement is so controversial:
How will the voters decide?
- About 8.3 million people registered to vote in the country's 18 million people will vote for members of the country's 188-seat parliament. Parties need 95 seats for a majority.
- More than 100 political parties have nominated about 1,100 candidates to stand in the parliamentary elections. Winners are chosen by the first or more half way, depending on the size of the region.
- Voters will also elect regional and district governments in 22 regions and the capital, N'Djamena.
- The Transformers Party and many opposition parties are boycotting the elections saying the elections will not be free or fair.
Why were there no parliamentary elections for more than 10 years?
The last parliamentary election was held in 2011. Although the term of the parliamentary elections could end in 2015, the government postponed the elections indefinitely saying that there was no money to run the elections.
Although the landlocked country is an oil producer, it ranks fourth from the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index due to its long economic and harsh climate.
Although members of the opposition called for early elections, former President Deby continued to postpone them. In 2019, the newly established National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) promised to hold elections in 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those plans.
Following the death of his father at the hands of terrorists in May 2021, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, 40, seized power, despite loud calls for the opposition parties to act. The military dissolved parliament and installed a one-year Transitional Military Council, headed by Deby. In October 2022, the leader disappointed many Chadians when he extended the transition period to 2024. Thousands of people, mainly young people, took to the streets in protest, but the security forces opened fire, killing more than 100 people.
Succes Masra, the young leader of the opposition Transformers Party, was at the forefront of the protests. Masra fled to the United States following the assassination.
Will there be other elections?
Yes, the authorities held successful elections in December 2023 that supported the introduction of new laws, and in fact, new elections.
In May this year, Deby swept to victory controversial presidential electionswhere it is alleged that his party rigged votes with the help of the National Election Management Agency (ANGE).
Prosecutors also accused Deby of killing opponents before the election. Chadian forces killed Yaya Dillo, Deby's cousin and a member of the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) in February. He was considered by many people as the main leader of the president at that time.
Officials said Dillo led the assassination attempt on the country's intelligence agency headquarters on February 28, but Dillo denied the claims. Dillo was killed in a shootout the next day, along with several other PSF members. Many members are still in the notorious Koro Toro security prison, according to Amnesty International. Organizations like Human Rights Watch in 2022 documented how prison authorities tortured and killed protesters in prisons.
Deby won 61.3 percent of the vote to the anger of opposition groups who say the election was rigged. International human rights groups, such as the International Federation for Human Rights, said the presidential elections were not “credible, free, or democratic”.
The president was ahead of his main opponent, the candidate Masra of the Transformers party, who came second with 18.5 percent of the vote. Masra had returned to the country in January this year following the peace agreement and was appointed prime minister in what many see as Deby's attempt to win over members of the opposition. But controversy arose when the two faced each other in the election. Masra resigned as minister and returned to lead the opposition.
Which parties are competing in this election?
Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS): Led by agricultural expert and prime minister Haroun Kabadi, who currently heads the Transitional Council, the MPS is the ruling party. It was founded by former president Deby Itno and current president Deny is the “honorary president”. The MPS has been in control of the parliament since 1996. Before the Transitional Council was established in 2021, the party was in a coalition government with the allies Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) and National Rally for Democracy and Progress (RNDP) and controlled the 134th parliament. furniture.
National Union for Democracy and Renewal (UNDR): Led by politician Saleh Kebzabo, it was one of the main opposition coalitions to the regime of former President Deby Itno. The current president appointed Kebzabo as prime minister from 2022-2024. The party controlled 10 seats until 2021.
National Rally of Chadian Democrats (RNDT): Having entered into a ruling coalition with the MPS, the RNDT is seen as an “opposition-opposition” group. It is chaired by former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke (2021- 2022). Padacke contested the presidential election and won 16.9 percent of the vote. RNDT controlled eight seats in the parliament until 2021.
Why are some opposition parties boycotting parliamentary elections?
Other opposition parties Masra's Transformers, Group of the Cooperation of Political Actors (GCAP) and more than 10 others are not participating in the protests, and have been handing out leaflets urging them not to vote.
The parties accuse Deby's government of repression and repression and say opposition members have “already lost”.
Masra, who came second in the presidential vote, told AFP reporters that “participating in the legislative elections under the current conditions is participating in discrimination.”
Some parties such as the Chad Party of Democrats have said they are preventing MPS MPs from campaigning by putting up roadblocks in their constituencies.
Officials have denied the allegations. Infrastructure Minister Aziz Mahamat Saleh told reporters that the elections will help MPS and President Deby gain the necessary majority “to turn his political program into reality”.
Why are Chadian journalists protesting?
Meanwhile, online journalists this week criticized the December 4 ban that prevents online newspapers from broadcasting election-related content, and often. Authorities also shut down radio stations that affected the calls.
The High Media and Audiovisual Authority (HAMA), which issued the bans, says that online media outlets also post videos without the permission of the producers, in violation of content laws. Earlier, HAMA criticized online media for spreading “unconfirmed” information about President Deby.
A Supreme Court ruling on December 20 ordered that the ban be lifted immediately. However, HAMA has not yet implemented this decision. Speaking on television on Tuesday, HAMA President Abderrahmane Barka said the law was in line with Chad's law on sharing content but did not say whether the organization would honor the decision.
About 40 publications have gone on strike. On Tuesday, many journalists took to the streets in N'djamena to protest the decision, accusing HAMA and the government of MPs of trying to block online media before the election. The restrictions, he said, also prevent them from broadcasting locally produced audio.
Rights groups criticized the ban. “As a regulatory agency, HAMA's role is to regulate media outlets, not to prohibit them,” said Sadibou Marong, the head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The difference is small, but it is important to guarantee the freedom of the media in Chad. If the distribution of content without the consent of their producer is prohibited, RSF asks HAMA to change its decision by not prohibiting online broadcasters from broadcasting and producing their own audio.
What's next?
Experts say that MPS seems to have won a majority in the parliament, mainly to strengthen the party's control for many years, and to strengthen the Deby family in power.
In large rallies in N'Djamena over the weekend, MPS MPs handed out hats, key chains, and other souvenirs emblazoned with the party's blue and yellow colors to thousands of supporters.
Rights groups are calling on the government to ensure a joint vote, however. “The authorities in Chad have a responsibility to ensure that the election is free and fair and to ensure that it is inclusive,” said Sanusi of Amnesty International.
In the meantime, opposition activists have promised to monitor the vote independently and to report evidence of vote violations to the African Court of Justice in Tanzania, which has jurisdiction in the countries of the African Union, so that the court can cancel the vote.