Chad

Chad junta chief Mahamat Idriss Déby officially declared winner of presidential election

Author: Editors Desk Source: France 24

May 16, 2024 at 13:23

File photo of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby speaking during the launch of his presidential campaign ahead of the May elections in N'Djamena on April 14, 2024. © Israel Matene, Reuters

Chad's junta leader General Mahamat Idriss Déby has been confirmed the winner of the May 6 presidential election, with 61 percent of the vote.

Chad's junta leader General Mahamat Idriss Déby won the May 6 presidential election with 61 percent of the vote, according to final results announced by the Constitutional Council Thursday.

The court rejected his rival Prime Minister Succès Masra's bid to annul the result which he launched after claiming victory in the vote.

Masra came second with 18.54 percent, while former prime minister Albert Pahimi Padacké won 16.93 percent, Constitutional Council president Jean-Bernard Padare said.

Masra, once a fierce Deby opponent before becoming prime minister four months ago, has accused the junta chief's team of rigging the results and called on his supporters to "mobilise peacefully".Opposition figures have long been silenced by the administration, and Yaya Dillo Djérou, Déby's cousin and chief opponent, was assassinated in February..

International human rights groups had said the election would be neither credible nor fair.

Déby was proclaimed transitional president three years ago by his fellow generals after his father, iron-fisted president Idriss.

(AFP)