Friday, May 17, 2024 - Chad's junta leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has been announced as the winner of the country's presidential election.
After the final results
came in on Thursday, May 16, it was stated that Deby, who seized power the day
rebels killed his father President Idriss Deby in 2021 and declared himself
interim leader, got 61 percent of the vote, well ahead of second-placed candidate
Succes Masra with 18.54 percent.
Opposition leader Masra acknowledged the
council's ruling and did not say he would fight it.
The oil-producing country is the first of a
string of coup-hit states in West and Central Africa's Sahel region to attempt
a return to constitutional rule by holding elections.
It has remained a key Western ally in the
fight against al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked insurgencies in the Sahel
region, even as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso kicked out Western forces and
turned to Russia for support instead.
But Washington and former colonial power
France have kept a wary eye since Chad's air force chief last month told the
U.S. to halt activities at an air base, citing problems with paperwork. The
U.S. announced a temporary withdrawal of at least some troops in response.
Deby's victory prolongs the rule of the
family that has had a firm grip on power since Deby's father took over in a
coup in the early 1990s.
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