Chad’s Constitutional Council on Sunday approved 10 candidates for this year’s long-awaited presidential election, including interim President Mohamed Idriss Deby and the country’s recently appointed prime minister.
The Central African country is due to hold the first round of presidential elections in May as part of its transition from military rule to democracy.
Deby initially promised an 18-month electoral transition after taking power in 2021, when his long-ruling father was killed in clashes with rebels.
But his government later passed a resolution to postpone the election to 2024 and allow him to run for president, triggering protests that were violently suppressed by security forces.
In December, Chadians voted in favor of a new constitution that critics say could help solidify Deby’s grip on power and allow him to run for president.
Deby confirmed his intention to run earlier this month.
The list of candidates released on Sunday includes opposition leader Succes Masra, who was appointed transitional prime minister in January.
For the first time in Chad’s history, the president and prime minister faced each other in a presidential election.
Masra, a staunch opponent of Chad’s military government, fled the country in October 2022 after dozens of people were killed when security forces cracked down on demonstrations in the capital, N’Djamena.
The first round of voting is scheduled for May 6, the second round on June 22, and provisional results will be announced on July 7.
The Chadian military junta is one of several currently ruling West and Central Africa. There have been eight coups in the region since 2020, raising concerns about democratic backsliding.
This is the first transitional authority to organize elections.
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