Chad’s military leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, 40, who also served as the interim president has been declared the winner of Monday’s hotly disputed presidential elections according to the provisional result declared by the National Elections Management Agency.
According to the East African, Deby managed 61.03% of the votes cast, finishing ahead of nine other presidential aspirants running for the number one office in the land.
Deby’s 61.03% puts him slightly above the mandatory 50% of votes a presidential candidate must garner before he or she is declared winner of the elections without the need for a runoff.
Deby’s main rival in the elections, Prime Minister Success Masra, came in a distant second with 18.5% of the votes. He has disputed this result.
Former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke who finished as the runner-up in the last elections held in 2021 finished third position this time with 16.91 percent of the votes.
The provisional results were announced two weeks earlier than the stipulated date. Results were initially expected to be announced on May 21.
Election Dispute
The presidential elections held in Chad were not without dispute and challenges.
Just before the announcement of the provisional results, the second runner-up Prime Minister Masra claimed he had won the elections with a resounding victory on a Facebook live broadcast and called security forces and Chadian people to protect his votes.
“A small group of individuals have refused to accept the will of a majority of Chadians, and want to reverse the order of the numbers…They believe they can make people believe the election was won by the same system that has ruled Chad for decades,” He said
The opposition leader who was named a prime minister in the transitional government called on the Chadian people to resist alleged attempts to build a dynasty by upholding the same system and individuals who have ruled Chad for decades.
The disputed results add to a series of unfortunate events in the run-up of the elections which was topped by the killing of opposition figure Yaya Dillo and the rejection of prominent opposition figures from the candidate list.
This and other issues prompted critics to say the credibility of the process has been compromised.
The International Crisis Group gave their assessment of the electoral process saying that several problems in the run-up to the balloting cast doubt on its credibility.
The interim president and Chad’s military leader General Deby seized power in the West African country after his father who ruled the country for over three decades was killed by rebels on the battlefield.
The Young Deby has since pledged to return the country to civilian rule in 18 months after seizing power. A pledge he did not keep
