In Chad, the presidential campaign for the May 6 election starts this Sunday, April 14th.
Opposition candidates have lamented the absence of level playing field.
“Since 1 April, they’ve been campaigning on billboards that say, I’m voting for this candidate, I’m voting for that candidate, that’s my candidate, and either it’s the President’s effigy, or it’s the effigy of the Prime Minister, who’s also a candidate, and that’s frustrating,” said Nasra Djimasrgar, a candidate.
For Djimasrgar, the undue advantage accorded to his competitors is already undermining the credibility of the 6 May exercise.
He says early campaigns give the junta leader and his premier 35 days of vote hunting instead of of the 21 days stipulated in the code.
Chad, an oil-rich central African state has no history of organising credible elections.
The international community will be closely watching the election in the country considered France’s last point of influence in the Sahel region. Mahamat Idriss Deby, who assumed power in 2021, and has since pursued stronger ties with Paris, is likely to win.
Peoplesmind
