World
Chad’s President Idriss Deby secured over 60 percent of the votes in the first round of presidential polls held on April 10, to get reelected to the country’s highest office for a fifth term. With the victory, Deby extends his 26-year tenure even as the opposition alleges widespread fraud after being knocked out in the first round of the election.
Deby, who came to power in 1990 while leading an armed rebellion, amended the country’s constitution in 2004 and scrapped the provisions that limited presidential terms, writes Reuters. Now, however, Deby has pledged to reintroduce term limits.
Deby’s win is of particular global importance given that his government has actively partnered with the West in combating Islamist militants in the region.
Even as African Union observers termed the presidential elections “free and fair” last week, the opposition complained of hundreds of ballot boxes disappearing in addition to buying-up of voter cards, notes Daily Nation.
Chad’s economy, which majorly depends on oil export, has been strained by falling oil prices and deteriorating security in the region, writes Bloomberg. In a country surrounded by a turbulent Libya to the north and Nigerian Boko Haram militants to the south, Deby has efficiently mobilized his armed forces.
