But violence and allegations of election fraud marred the provisional vote count, which was released earlier than expected.
Chad’s military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby has won the closely watched presidential election, according to provisional results released by Chad’s National Election Authority.
Figures released on Thursday showed Mr Deby won more than 61% of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff against his closest rival, Prime Minister Success Masra, who won 18.5%.
This victory allows the incumbent, Debbie, to retain the presidency as mandated by voters.
He previously led the country as interim president and assumed power in April 2021 after his father, the late President Idriss Deby, was killed during fighting with rebels in the north.
However, his rival in the presidential race, Mr. Masra, has already indicated that he will not accept the election results.
Earlier on Thursday, Masra went live on Facebook and declared himself the winner. He also accused Deby and other government officials of rigging the election results to maintain power.
“A small number of people believe they can trick the public into believing that the same regime that has ruled Chad for decades won the election,” Masra said.
Debbie’s father led the country for more than 30 years from 1990 to 2021, but was shot dead shortly after winning his sixth presidential victory.
Critics have accused both he and his son, current President Deby, of suppressing opposition to maintain their grip on power.
They also noted that the circumstances leading up to the May 6 presidential vote may have influenced its outcome.
For example, one of the opposition leaders, Deby’s cousin Yaya Dilo, was killed in a shootout with security forces at party headquarters.
Other opposition figures have been banned from campaigning, citing “fraud” in their applications.
On Thursday, Masra called on his supporters and security forces to support his claim to the presidency and reject the election authorities’ results.
“To all the Chadians who voted for change and to all the Chadians who voted for me, I say: Unite. Stay calm, in a spirit of peace,” he said. said in a Facebook broadcast.
Thursday’s results were released earlier than expected, as provisional results were originally expected to be released on May 21.
Chad is considered the first military-led country in Africa’s Sahel region to hold democratic elections, but questions remain about the fairness and credibility of the vote.
Neighboring countries such as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have also survived coups, with military leaders in charge of their governments. There have been eight coups in the region since 2020 alone.
This month’s presidential election marked the first time in the country’s history that an incumbent lawmaker faced off against the prime minister in the polls.
Upon taking office in 2021, Deby promised to hold “free and democratic elections” within 18 months, but the government extended the transition period until 2024, allowing Deby to remain president. .
During that time, he led a referendum on a new constitution that would allow him to stand in the 2024 elections.
A lifelong military veteran, Debbie led the powerful DGSSIE, an acronym for General Direction of State Agency Security Services. In that role, he worked closely with the French military.
Chad, with a population of about 18 million people, was under French colonial rule until 1960 and is still the last country in the Sahel region with a French military presence, including fighter jets and troops.
Following Thursday’s announcement, security forces were deployed to intersections across the capital, N’Djamena, in preparation for possible violence.
