Fifteen parties in Chad’s fragmented opposition said on Tuesday that they had named a single candidate to contest presidential elections on April 11 against the 30-year incumbent, Idriss Deby Itno. Their champion is Theophile Bebzoune Bongoro, a 55-year-old newcomer to politics, who was backed by nine out of the 15 party leaders, they said. Five others voted for Deby’s best-known adversary, Saleh Kebzabo, the runner-up in the 2016 elections with 12.8 percent of the vote.
Opposition parties last week set up a coalition called Alliance Victoire (Victory Alliance), seeking to overcome long-standing divisions that have helped Deby to remain in power. Bongoro is a notary who has never taken part in any election. In 2018, he set up his own political movement, the Party for Assembly and Equity in Chad (PRET). “We want power to be handed over democratically, through the ballot box,” he said after being named candidate.
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Chad’s ruling party backs Deby bid for sixth term
On
Chadian President, Idriss Deby
Chad’s ruling party on Saturday endorsed President Idriss Deby Itno’s bid for a sixth term in an election later this year.
Deby, a 68-year-old former army chief who has been in power for 30 years, is expected to face a joint opposition candidate in the April vote.
Despite ruling with an iron fist, Deby largely enjoys the support of the international community which views him as an essential ally in the fight against jihadists in the troubled Sahel region.
Deby hailed his nomination at a meeting of his Patriotic Salvation Movement.