N’DJAMENA: Authorities in Chad have announced the disqualification of 10 candidates, including two prominent opponents of the military regime, from participating in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for May 6.
The constitutional court stated that the applications of outspoken critics Nassour Ibrahim Neguy Koursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh were rejected due to “irregularities.”
Among the remaining candidates are the current junta leader, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, and his prime minister, Succes Masra. General Deby Itno assumed the presidency in 2021 following the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had ruled Chad for over three decades.
Initially pledging to transition power to a civilian government within 18 months, Deby Itno later extended the transition period by two years and announced his candidacy for the presidency on March 2.
Masra, a former opposition figure, signed a reconciliation agreement with the junta leader earlier this year, leading some to criticize his candidacy as a tactic to legitimize an election widely expected to favor Deby Itno.
Opposition figures have decried the disqualifications as an attempt to stifle credible opposition voices in the electoral process. According to Nassour Ibrahim Neguy Koursami, a candidate for the GCAP opposition platform, only candidates aligned with the junta leader have been approved, alleging a lack of genuine pluralism in the election.
Controversy Around Chad Presidential Election
The constitutional council also initiated a preliminary investigation into Koursami for suspected forgery and use of forged documents in support of his candidacy.
Rakhis Ahmat Saleh, representing the Party for Democratic Renewal in Chad, criticized the council’s actions as manipulative and aimed at excluding candidates without valid justification.
Constitutional expert Ahmat Mahamat Hassan expressed skepticism about the electoral process, suggesting that the disqualifications reflect an effort to perpetuate dynastic rule under Deby Itno.
Amidst growing discontent, the Wakit Tamma opposition platform has called for a boycott of the presidential vote, condemning it as a “masquerade” designed to maintain a “dynastic dictatorship.”
The exclusion of opposition candidates comes shortly after the death of Yaya Dillo Djerou, a key rival of General Deby, who was killed in an army raid on his party headquarters. Djerou’s party accused the government of assassinating him to prevent his candidacy, an allegation denied by authorities.
