2021 Chadian presidential election

2021 Chadian presidential election
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Candidate Idriss Déby Albert Pahimi Padacké
Party MPS RNDT–Le Réveil
Popular vote 3,663,431 476,464
Percentage 79.32% 10.32%
President before election

Idriss Déby
MPS

Elected President

Idriss Déby (killed in action)
Mahamat Déby seizes power as CMT President

Politics of Chad
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Government
National Assembly (dissolved)
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Presidential elections were held in Chad on 11 April 2021.[1] Incumbent Idriss Déby, who served five consecutive terms since seizing power in the 1990 coup d'état,[2] was running for a sixth.[3] Déby was described as an authoritarian by several international media sources,[2][4][5] and as "strongly entrenched".[6] During previous elections, he forbade the citizens of Chad from making posts online,[5] and while Chad's total ban on social media use was lifted in 2019,[7] restrictions continue to exist.

Provisional results released on April 19 showed that Déby won reelection with 79% of the vote.[8] However, on 20 April it was announced by the military that Déby had been killed in action while leading his country's troops in a battle against rebels calling themselves the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).[9][10]

Following Déby's death, a body called the Transitional Military Council – led by his son Mahamat Déby Itno, dissolved the government and the legislature, and proclaimed that it would be assuming power for a period of 18 months. Thereafter, a new presidential election would be held.[11] Some political actors within Chad have labeled the installing of the transitional military government a "coup", as the constitutional provisions regarding the filling of a presidential vacancy were not followed.[12] Namely, according to the constitution, the President of the National Assembly, Haroun Kabadi, should have been named Acting President after Déby's death, and an early election called within a period of no less than 45 and no more than 90 days from the time of the vacancy.[13]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Allafrica_diplomats2leave_Chad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference unwilling was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference jeune was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference unholy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference posting was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference important was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference lifts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Chad's Idriss Deby wins 6th term as army fends off rebel advance". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 April 2021..
  9. ^ "Chad President Idriss Deby dies visiting front-line troops: Army". Al Jazeera. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Chad's president Idriss Déby dies from combat wounds, military says". The Guardian. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Chad president's death: Rivals condemn 'dynastic coup'". BBC News. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)