N’djamena: Chad’s ruling party took the majority of votes in last month’s parliamentary election, which was boycotted by the main opposition and which analysts had said would consolidate the president’s political power, provisional results show.
In what was the first parliamentary election in Chad in more than a decade, the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement party won 124 out of 188 seats, while the voter turnout was 51.5%, according to the provisional results announced late Saturday by Ahmed Bartchiret, head of the electoral commission. The parliamentary election, which also included regional and municipal elections, was the last stage of the country’s transition to democracy after Mahamat Idriss Deby took power as a military ruler in 2021. The takeover followed the death of Deby’s father and longtime president Idriss Deby Itno, who spent three decades in power. Deby eventually won last year’s disputed presidential vote.
Deby had promised the election would promote decentralisation in Chad, distributing power to provincial and municipal levels. However, more than 10 opposition parties, including the main Transformers party, boycotted the vote, calling it a “charade.” The election comes at a critical time as Chad faces security challenges and strains with France.