Chad’s Main Opposition Figures Excluded from Presidential Ballot Chad’s electoral authorities announced on Sunday that they have disqualified 10 candidates, including two prominent critics of the military regime, from participating in the presidential election scheduled for May 6.
The constitutional court stated that the applications of outspoken adversaries Nassour Ibrahim Neguy Koursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh were rejected due to “irregularities.”
Among the remaining ten candidates is current junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, along with his prime minister Succes Masra, who has transitioned from an opposition role to a key figure within the government.
General Deby Itno assumed the presidency in 2021 after the passing of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had governed Chad with a firm hand for over three decades.
Masra’s inclusion in the electoral process has drawn criticism from the opposition, who view it as a tactic to mask the lack of genuine competition in an election where Deby Itno is widely expected to emerge victorious, given that his main rivals are deceased or in exile.
