Chad will hold presidential elections, making it the first in a string of coup-hit states across Central and West Africa to use the ballot box to try to emerge from years of military rule. The candidate widely expected to win is Mahamat Idriss Deby – the man who seized power the day rebels shot and killed his long-ruling father, Idriss Deby, in April 2021.

N'Djamena

Chad is set to conduct presidential elections, marking a significant move for the nation as it attempts to transition from years of military governance. This electoral process is particularly notable as Chad is among the first countries in Central and West Africa, recently affected by coups, attempting to use democratic means to establish governance. Mahamat Idriss Deby, who ascended to power following the death of his father, Idriss Deby, in April 2021, is considered the frontrunner in the upcoming elections.

In the capital city of N'Djamena, excitement surrounds the final rally of Soukzay Mazra, the current Prime Minister of Chad. Mazra, who not long ago lived in exile in the United States following a violent crackdown on his supporters in 2022, has returned to run for the presidency. He previously signed a deal with the interim president, which allowed him to become Prime Minister, despite criticism from some quarters accusing him of political opportunism. Mazra advocates for reconciliation and cooperation among Chadian politicians to advance the country's development, promising to move Chad out of obscurity should he be elected.

Opposing Mazra is the interim President, Mahamat Idriss Deby, also known as Midi, who is also staging significant campaign events in N'Djamena. Deby aims to legitimize his rule through the ballot after taking over the reins following his father's death in 2021. The elections come as Chad seeks to emerge from a three-year transitional period initiated after the senior Deby was killed during a visit to troops battling rebels in the north.

The presidential race features ten candidates, with three main contenders drawing significant attention: interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby, Prime Minister Soukzay Mazra, and opposition figure Alba Parmi Baraki. Baraki has criticized the electoral process, suggesting it unfairly benefits the interim president, a claim Deby denies. This election is a critical juncture for Chad as it attempts to shift from military to civilian rule.



Chad to vote in presidential elections

Right now I'm at the rally for Soukzay Mazra. He's just arriving here just outside the hippodrome of the capital city in Jemena. And as you can hear behind me and see as well, crowds are going pretty mad. They're very excited to see their candidate arrive here for his final rally. Now Soukzay Mazra has a very interesting story. He's currently the Prime Minister of right now you can see, you can see Soukzay Mazra arriving. And that is his group of cars driving through the crowds, arriving here, greeting supporters for one last time before they go to the polling stations on Monday to vote for him. Now he's an interesting story. He's currently the Prime Minister of Chad. But only a few months ago he was actually in exile. Some of his supporters back in 2022 demonstrated in the streets. There was a violent crackdown, some were killed, and Soukzay Mazra went into exile in the US. He's since come back to Chad, signed a deal with the current interim president, and he's currently his Prime Minister. But he's running in this presidential election. Now some critics say that he switched sides, that he turned his coat, that he sold out by accepting that job as Prime Minister. He though has been telling his supporters, and we expect him to do so one last time here today, that politicians in Chad need to reconcile, they need to work together. So he as Prime Minister accepted that position with the interim president, one of his political rivals, because Chad needs its politicians to work together in order to move forward. He's been telling Chadians, give me five more years, give me five years by electing me as president, and I will, in his words, bring Chad out of obscurity. Of course on the other side though, we have his main rival, the current interim president, Mohamed Idris Debbie Itno. He's also holding a big rally here in the capital city on the main plaza, and we were at that rally a little earlier today, and we expect to go there later too. And Claire, Chad is trying to emerge from a transitional period. Can you tell us a bit more about the context of this election? Chad is coming out of this three-year transitional period. Now what happened three years ago is that the late president Idris Debbie, who had been in power for more than 30 years, he was killed while he was visiting troops in the north of the country. He was on the battlefield, and he was killed visiting troops there. Now the army basically installed his son, Mohamed Idris Debbie Itno, or Midi, as he's known here as an acronym for his initials. He is very much the interim president at the moment, and he is now trying to legitimise himself and be elected as president of Chad. So he's the big rival, really. We have three main, there were ten candidates in this election, but three really in the favourites. We have the current interim president, Midi. We have Sookse Masra, who's holding his rally here, and then we have Alba Parmi Baraki, who is the opposition candidate, who has been saying since the beginning, criticising the electoral process, saying that it is weighted in favour of the current interim president. Of course, the current interim president, Midi, he denies that accusation.

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