Presidential elections launch in Chad for first time since coup
3 Min Read
Chadians participate in their first presidential election since the 2021 transition of power, with Mahamat Idriss Deby expected to secure victory.
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Mahamat Idriss Deby, head of the Transitional Military Council (CMT) salutes the coffin of the late Chadian President Idriss Deby during the state funeral in N'Djamena, Chad, Friday, April 23, 2021. (AP)
Chadians are heading to the polls on Monday, marking the first presidential election in Africa's Sahel region since a series of coups. Mahamat Idriss Deby, who took power following his father's death in 2021, is widely expected to secure victory, according to local analysts.
Deby has pledged to enhance security, reinforce the rule of law, and boost electricity production. The election coincides with a withdrawal of US troops from Chad.
Regarding the election process, the voting hours are from 7 am to 5 pm, with approximately 8.5 million registered voters.
Earlier, in Moundou, security forces deployed at six polling stations exercised their right to vote on May 5.
Provisional results are anticipated by May 21, with final results expected by June 5. If no candidate receives over 50% of the vote, a run-off will take place on June 22.
Deby faces competition from the country's former Prime Minister Succes Masra, who was previously in exile but returned in 2023, as well as from former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke and seven other candidates.
US withdrawal
US officials confirmed, on April 24, that 75 Army Special Operations personnel in Ndjamena, Chad’s capital, would be withdrawn by the Pentagon in response to the African governments’ demands.
Chad, alongside Niger which will also witness the withdrawal of around 1,000 troops, wants terms that would serve the hosts' interests. However, US officials express hope to resume talks on security cooperation after elections in Chad on May 6.
The withdrawal decisions come at a time when African nations are drawing closer to Russia.
The departure of the US military advisors from Chad, a sprawling desert nation at the crossroads of the continent, was prompted by a letter from the Chadian government that the United States saw as a threat to end an important security agreement with Washington.
In a letter sent to the US defense attaché, Chadian officials threatened to end the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, which governs the rules and circumstances under which US military forces may operate in the nation. While the letter did not explicitly command the US military to leave Chad, authorities told CNN that it required all US personnel to depart the French facility in N'Djamena.
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