Chad’s Ruling Party Wins Majority in Parliamentary Election Boycotted by Main Opposition

By MOUTA ALI

6:05 AM EST, January 12, 2025

N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — 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 said the election would “pave the way for the era of decentralization so long awaited and desired by the Chadian people,” referring to the distribution of power beyond the national government to the different provincial and municipal levels.

The election was boycotted by more than 10 opposition parties, including the main Transformers party, whose candidate, Succes Masra, came second in the presidential election.

The main opposition had called the election a “charade” and expressed worries that it would be a repeat of the presidential vote, which election observers said was not credible. The main opposition did not immediately comment on the election results.

Last month’s vote came at a critical period for Chad, which is battling several security challenges from Boko Haram militant attacks in the Lake Chad region to the break in decadeslong military ties with France, its key ally.