Key points:
- President Deby’s MPS party wins 43 of 46 senate seats.
- Opposition claims the elections were not free or fair.
- The political transition strengthens Deby’s hold on power.
CHAD’S President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has further solidified his control of the country following a landslide victory in the nation’s recent senate elections, held last month. The 40-year-old leader, who rose to power after his father’s death in 2021 and completed a three-year interim period, now enjoys dominant political influence. His Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party claimed 43 out of the 46 contested seats in the senate, securing its grip on power in Chad.
Deby’s victory, in line with his previous triumph in the controversial May 2021 presidential elections, has drawn criticism from opposition groups, who accuse him of stifling democracy. With the opposition largely boycotting the elections, the MPS party continues to extend its reach, controlling the lower house of parliament and most regional offices across Chad. The Constitutional Council has endorsed the results, claiming that the country’s democratic foundations are stronger than ever.
However, opposition leader Mahamat Zene Cherif of the Chad United party dismissed the election outcomes, describing the results as ‘prefabricated’ and claiming the system is rigged in Deby’s favour. Political analysts warn that the lack of a strong opposition in Chad could signal the rise of a one-party state. ‘There is a fear of moving toward a dictatorship,’ said Evariste Ngarlem Tolde, a political scientist at N’Djamena University.
Deby, who recently ascended to the rank of field marshal, has positioned himself as the unchallenged leader in Chad’s political landscape. Despite the critiques, his party argues that the nation’s transition, marked by the MPS’s expanding influence, is a necessary shift toward stability and national unity.
Meanwhile, opposition figures and experts caution that the consolidation of power by a single party could further undermine democratic institutions. Some fear the growing dominance of the MPS may set Chad on a path toward military conflict, especially amid the instability in neighbouring Sudan and the region’s ongoing security challenges.
As Chad strengthens its political control, international observers continue to question the fairness of the elections, casting a shadow over the country’s transition to what Deby’s government claims is a new era of peace and reconciliation.
