Chad’s opposition leader, Succès Masra, has taken action by filing an appeal with the country’s constitutional council to contest the preliminary results of the May 6 presidential election.
Masra shared proof of filing documents with the council through social media posts on Sunday.
The initial election results indicated that President Mahamat Deby Itno secured just over 61% of the vote, while Masra, the runner-up and prime minister of Chad’s transitional government, garnered over 18.5%.
Despite Masra’s earlier claim of victory and allegations of election result manipulation, he has not publicly presented evidence to support his claims.
According to Rakimdon Jacques Houitouto, a human rights law expert based in Chad, if the constitutional council finds Succès Masra’s case compelling, there is a possibility of the election results being nullified.
However, it remains uncertain when the council might reach a decision on the matter.
Chad recently conducted its much-delayed election following three years of military rule.
Despite widespread expectations of the incumbent’s victory, President Mahamat Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power following his father’s death in 2021, who had ruled for three decades and was killed while fighting rebels.
The oil-exporting nation, with a population of nearly 18 million, has not experienced a democratic transfer of power since gaining independence in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.
Masra, the president of The Transformers opposition party, fled Chad in October 2022 amidst a crackdown on protests against President Deby Itno’s decision to extend his term by two years.
Masra’s party, along with six others, was suspended by the military government at the time.
The protests resulted in over 60 casualties, with the government denouncing them as an attempted coup.
Last year, an agreement brokered between the country’s minister of reconciliation and Masra’s political party paved the way for the return of the exiled politician and other opposition figures to Chad. Subsequently, Masra was appointed as prime minister.
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