Chad: Military leader wins presidential election despite tensions with opposition
The provisional results of the presidential election in Chad were published on Thursday, declaring Mahamat Deby Itno, a military leader, as the winner of this week’s poll. However, this announcement was not without controversy, as his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra, contested the results.
The national electoral agency surprised many by releasing the voting results earlier than expected, showing that Deby Itno garnered over 61% of the votes, while Masra secured a little over 18.5% of the votes. These results were followed by incidents, including gunfire in the capital.
Originally scheduled for May 21st, the early announcement of the results attracted attention. Chad held this presidential election after three years of military rule, widely perceived as a formality for the outgoing president. Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, had succeeded his father after his death in 2021 during fighting against rebels.
This country, with a population of approximately 18 million people and an economy dependent on oil, has not yet experienced a smooth democratic transition since its independence in 1960, marked by decades of French colonial rule.
Shortly before the announcement of the results, Succès Masra expressed his concerns on social media, accusing the authorities of seeking to manipulate the election results.
