Presidential elections 2024 in Chad ELECTIONS OR POLITICAL SETTING?

The presidential elections taking place in Chad this May 6, 2014 are somewhat special. They are taking place between 10 candidates skimmed by the Constitutional Council. But above all, they pit the current President of the Republic, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno (MIDI), President of the Transition, against Prime Minister Succès Masra, appointed only 6 (six) months ago by the President of the Transition, who is also in office. In other words, the two main candidates are bound together by the ties of their respective high government offices, leading many Chadians to believe that the dice are loaded. Some observers see this as a political staged event.

While the Constitutional Council has authorized 10 (ten) candidates to run, one curiosity stands out. The President of the Transition, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, is a candidate, as is Prime Minister Succès Masra. Both are in office, and neither has resigned to take up a position in the Republic for the duration of the election. Mahamat Idriss Deby and Succès Masras were at loggerheads not so long ago, after a ferocious army crackdown on demonstrations organized by opposition parties on October 20, 2022.

This date coincided with the promise made by the Military Transition Committee to return power to a civilian government. It was too good an opportunity for the military to slash the demonstrators. Across the country, at least 300 people were killed, most of them by bullets, and around 500 demonstrators were arrested. Almost the entire senior staff of the “Transformateurs” party, along with a host of other opponents, had to leave Chad. Many are still living in exile. Succès Masras went into exile in France.

The Kinshasa agreement: a blank cheque for impunity?

After a year in exile, Succès Masras returned to Chad this time as Prime Minister, following the so-called Kinshasa agreements. Supervised by Congolese President Félix Tshisékédi, and mandated by the Economic Community of Central African States, the agreement provides for a general amnesty law for all civilian and military actors involved in the events of October 20, 2022.

For its part, the “Transformers” party is committed to continuing dialogue with the government, with a view to a peaceful global solution involving all players not included in the transition process. In addition, the President of this party pledges to work towards actions facilitating a return to constitutional order within a given timeframe. Lastly, the “les transformateurs” party undertakes to respect the fundamental laws and freedoms guaranteed by Chad's legal system, and to work for national unity.

According to Théophile MadjitoloumYombombé, President of the Union des Travailleurs Progressistes pour la Cohésion (UTPC), quoted by the Africa News website, the government party that contributed directly or indirectly to the massacres of young Chadians must answer for their actions.

For political scientist Evariste Ngarlem Toldé, quoted by the same news site, the amnesty compromise reached between the transitional government and “the transformers” cannot prevent international prosecutions. For this observer, “the agreement only commits the president of the ‘transformers’ and the government, but does not absolve the government of certain obligations. Tomorrow, perhaps the Chadian military will answer for some of their acts before the International Criminal Court", he asserts.

For Joel Djastadom, quoted by the Deutsche Welle news site, who lost his nephew in these events: “A peace agreement is fine, but there can be no peace without justice. I'm still waiting for justice to be done for my nephew who was killed during these events. To say that it's all right, we're giving amnesty to the guilty in the name of peace, I think that's nonsense. Succès Masra has made a very serious political error.

May 4 marked the last day of the election campaign, punctuated by the final rallies and voting instructions. Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, the candidate of the “Coalition for a United Chad” and current President of the transitional government, gathered his supporters in N'Djamena's Place de la Nation. In front of his supporters from 227 political parties, he expressed confidence in his victory in the 1st round, highlighting his record during the transition and his future plans. His main opponent, Dr Succès Masra, candidate of the “Justice-Egalité” coalition and current Prime Minister, held his closing rally at the N'Djamena racecourse, promising a “Chad of dignity for all”.

A guarantee of power or simply a democratic alibi?

These elections remind Chadians of the country's long-standing political practices of recuperation. Most observers draw parallels between the presidency of Idriss Deby Itno senior, Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo and his current successor Mahamat Idriss Deby and Succès Masra. All these Prime Ministers serve only as alibis, or even democratic guarantees, for an autocratic regime that will find it hard to democratize.

One example is the controversy surrounding the Agence Nationale de Gestion des Elections (ANGE). Ultra-dominated by members of the Mouvement Patriotique du Salut (MPS), Mahamat Déby's party, it recently issued a communiqué prohibiting the filming of the minutes of the presidential vote.

Moreover, this ANGE refuses to display the election results in the polling stations.

In other words, all bets are off. Succès Masras is certainly playing for his political survival and that of his party, while the Chadian people, trapped by his sibylline political versions, will have to wait a very long time to benefit from the fruits of a genuine democratic transition.

TIENTCHEU KAMENI Maurice