by Mahamat Ramadane
N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Chad has adopted several provisions delaying the holding of elections by two years and allowing interim leader Mahamat Idriss Deby to remain in power until the polls at which he will be allowed to run.
These decisions have dismayed part of the opposition and go against the recommendations of the African Union, the United States and other foreign powers that the junta should not monopolize power by prolonging the transition or presenting candidates for the presidency.
Military authorities initially promised an 18-month transition when Mahamat Deby took power in April 2021 following the death of his son, Idriss Deby, killed on the battlefield during a conflict with insurgents.
According to the new plan, approved on Saturday, the transition which was due to end in October has been extended for two years, meaning that elections would take place, at the earliest, around October 2024.
It also allows Mahamat Deby to remain in power until the ballot.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea have also seen coups since 2020, raising fears of a return to military rule in a region that had made democratic progress over the past decade.
Weakened by conflict and drought, Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world and also experiences some of the highest levels of malnutrition. According to the World Food Programme, around 2 million people there are facing severe food shortages this year.
Opposition leader Brice Mbaimon Guedmbaye denounced the new provisions imposed during the ongoing national talks.
“There are lobbies doing everything to keep the junta in power against the will of the people,” said Brice Mbaimon Guedmbaye, who is president of the Chadian Patriot Movement for the Republic party.
(Written by Alessandra Prentice; French version Nicolas Delame)
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