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May 7, 2024

Voters in Chad Cast Presidential Ballots 3 Years After Military Takeover
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In Chad, voters went to the polls Monday in the Sahel region's first
election since a wave of coups in recent years. Chad's current leader,
President Mahamat Idriss Déby, is largely expected to win. He took power
after his long-ruling father, Idriss Déby, was killed on the battlefield
in 2021. Ten candidates were disqualified from the election, leading to
a call to boycott the polls. Critics and opposition politicians have
blasted the "dynastic dictatorship." Voters say they want a leader who
can improve the dire economic situation in Chad and guarantee peace.

Gali Doubaye: "We need peace. We've suffered enough in this country. We
want a change. We really want a change, someone who can lead the
country, who won't have the conscience to ignore the suffering of
Chadian youth. Chadian youth are suffering. Our parents send us to
school, and we come back to fight in the neighborhoods. We're fed up.
There has to be a change."

Chad is also home to over 1 million refugees, many of them from
neighboring Sudan. The election results will take several weeks to be
announced.


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