Chad schedules legislative, provincial, and municipal elections for December 29

Chad's National Election Management Agency (ANGE) has announced that legislative, provincial, and municipal elections will be held on December 29, 2024.

The announcement, made on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, by ANGE President Ahmed Barticheret, outlines that candidates can submit their nominations between October 19 and 28, with final election results expected on February 3, 2025.

This election schedule comes just days after the promulgation of the organic law defining the composition of the new Parliament.

The decision to use the existing electoral register has been attributed to a lack of time, as well as material and financial resources, according to Barticheret.

The ruling MPS party, led by Secretary-General Mahamat Zen Bada, expressed readiness for the elections.

Bada emphasized the importance of adhering to the two-year transitional period, which ends in 2024, and stressed the need to return to constitutional order by year-end.

However, not all voices are in agreement. Pastor Moyadé Narédoum, leader of the opposition ADIL party, criticized the timing, calling it a "rush forward" that undermines peace efforts in Chad. Civil society groups have also voiced concerns. Jean Bosco Manga, a key civil society figure, argued that holding elections without addressing long-standing electoral boundary issues is a flawed approach.

Amid these debates, the political party "Les Transformateurs," led by Succès Masra, is preparing for a convention in September to strategize for the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, other civil society organizations, including the Civil Society Collective Against Injustice and Inequality and the Political Actors Consultation Group (GCAP), are actively campaigning against the recently passed organic law on Parliament's composition.