Chad
Chad performs at low levels across all four categories in the Global State of Democracy’s framework, with scores in the bottom 25% of countries. Over the last five years (which included an unconstitutional change of government and a transitional election), Chad has experienced declines in all the factors of Representation and also in Judicial Independence. Although its economy was previously dependent on agriculture, the production of oil has grown since 2003 and today accounts for roughly 70 per cent of all exports and 15 per cent of the GDP. The country struggles with both a high poverty rate, and food insecurity – both of which have been affected by periods of extensive flooding and internal instability. Due to regional instability, Chad is also host to millions of refugees.
Chad was part of the Kanem-Bornu Empire until France imposed colonial rule between 1900 and 1960. France deployed soldiers to administer the Chadian colony, which was governed through violent force and stoked inter-communal divisions. The country’s post-independence history has been coloured by protracted conflict, including violent contests for political power, and enduring ethnic and religious tension between the animist and Christian south and the Muslim north. Political and insurrectionist dissent has been driven by the competition over oil revenues, corruption, ethnic politics, and state oppression – and has been continuously marked by shifting allegiances and familial and tribal relations within the political elite. The Déby family has ruled Chad for almost half of its post-independence history.
Instability is the foremost obstacle to democratization. Major insurgent groups reject a peace agreement forged between Chad’s government and 30 rebel and opposition groups. Additionally, unresolved inter-ethnic conflict, fuelled by former President Idriss Déby’s preferential treatment of his own Zaghawa ethnic group, continues to be a problem. Climate change-related natural disasters have worsened resource-driven intercommunal conflict. The proliferation of arms throughout Chad and its insecure borders, some of which are sites of violent conflict in other countries, contribute to local-level conflict. Furthermore, Boko Haram has established bases throughout the Lake Chad Basin area, resulting in clashes between Chadian forces and the insurgents.
Chad is among the world’s bottom 25 per cent of countries with regard to Gender Equality. It has among the world’s highest rates of child marriage, and female genital mutilation is a widespread practice. Gender inequality in Chad can be attributed to challenges unique to the Sahel region, including climate change, food insecurity, poverty, political instability, violent extremism, and conflict.
Despite representing a return to civilian rule after three years of military government, the violent and repressive chain of actions in the lead up to the recent presidential election suggest that both Representation and Participation should be monitored in the near-term; the 2024 electoral period was marked by political violence, including the fatal shooting of a key opposition candidate, and irregularities in the voting process. The constitutional referendum of late 2023, likewise offers little promise for progress – it has been frequently criticized for its lack of inclusiveness and failure to consider key concerns of the opposition. Consequently, the situation in post-elections Chad remains highly fragile, and further instability may have far-reaching impact across all core indicators of democratic performance. Beyond its internal dynamics, Chad is additionally vulnerable to conflict developments in its neighbouring countries. Therefore, the worsening of the Boko Haram conflict in Nigeria, clashes in Cameroon, and unrest in Sudan’s Darfur region may result in increased refugees, which could contribute to worsening intercommunal conflicts over limited resources.
Last updated: July 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
February 2025
Ruling party wins first senatorial elections
Chad held indirect Senatorial elections on 25 February, which were the first in its history and were won by President Mahamat Déby’s ruling party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (Mouvement Patriotique du Salut, MPS). According to official results, MPS secured 43 of the 46 elected seats in the Senate, the remaining three seats were won by the National Rally of Chadian Democrats (Rassemblement national des démocrates Tchadiens - le Réveil, RNDT–Le Réveil) (two seats) and the Union for Renewal and Democracy (Union pour le renouveau et la démocratie, URD) (one seat), respectively. Several opposition parties boycotted the election, claiming that it would not be credible. The senators were elected by an electoral college of municipal and provincial counsellors. A further 23 senators were appointed by President Déby on 4 March, most of which came from MPS. Twenty five of the 69 senators (36.2 per cent) are women, in conformity with a gender quota target of 30 per cent. Chad’s new bicameral parliament was established by a 2020 constitutional reform and later confirmed by the 2023 constitution. The elections formally end the country’s transition to democracy that began after the 2021 unconstitutional change of government that first brought Déby to power. He was subsequently elected President in May 2024.
Sources: Radio France Internationale, Associated Press News, Agence Presse Africaine, International IDEA, Africa 24, Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, Barron's
December 2024
Chad’s ruling party wins disputed legislative elections
On 29 December, Chad held legislative elections, continuing its democratic transition that began after the 2021 unconstitutional change of government that first brought to power the country’s recently elected President, Mahamat Déby. It was also Chad’s first legislative election since 2011. According to provisional results released by the elections agency (Agence nationale de gestion des élections, ANGE), Déby’s party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (Mouvement Patriotique du Salut, MPS), won 124 of the 188 (66.0 per cent) seats in the unicameral National Assembly. The National Rally of Chadian Democrats (Rassemblement National des Démocrates Tchadiens - le Réveil, RNDT–Le Réveil) came second with 12 seats. Of the 1,329 candidates, 497 (37.4 per cent) were women (up from 145 in 2011). ANGE reported voter turnout to be 51.6 per cent (down from 56.6 per cent in 2011). The elections were boycotted by more than ten opposition parties, including the Transformers (Les Transformateurs). The election results were disputed by RNDT–Le Réveil and several other parties, who alleged fraud. Chadian election observers reported a range of irregularities, including ballot stuffing and multiple voting.
Sources: Agence nationale de gestion des élections, Radio France Internationale (1), International IDEA (1), Alwihda Info, Inter-Parliamentary Union, International IDEA (2), Radio France Internationale (2)
October 2024
Chad imposes new media restrictions ahead of December elections
On 9 October, the president of Chad’s media regulator, the High Authority for Media and Broadcasting (La Haute Autorité des Médias et de l’Audiovisuel, HAMA), Abderamane Barka, announced a directive prohibiting private media from publishing online audio-visual content outside of narrowly defined circumstances. Barka said outlets that violated these regulations would be suspended or have their licenses revoked. He added that outlets had to employ professional journalists with official press ID cards. The measures were presented as being part of a ‘cleaning up of the media landscape’ ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for 29 December. On 4 October, HAMA suspended Le Visionnaire newspaper over an article it published on alleged government corruption and suspended two senior members of its staff because they did not have press identity cards. The Committee to Protect Journalists, an NGO, accused the Chadian authorities of ‘using press accreditation as an instrument of censorship.’
Update: HAMA’s directive was given effect on 4 December, when it was formally issued as decision No. 055/HAMA/SG/2024. On 20 December, Chad’s Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the ban, however by the end of December HAMA was yet to comply with the court order and the ban remained in place.
Sources: La Haute Autorité des Médias et de l’Audiovisuel (1), Jeune Afrique, Committee to Protect Journalists (1), Committee to Protect Journalists (2), Tchadinfos, La Haute Autorité des Médias et de l’Audiovisuel (2), Reporters Without Borders, Voice of America
September 2024
Party officials detained amidst resurgence of arbitrary arrests and secret detentions
In September, prominent officials from the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (Mouvement Patriotique du Salut, MPS), and the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders (Parti Socialiste Sans Frontières, PSF) were reportedly detained by Chad’s intelligence services, as part of a broader pattern of arrests. According to the PSF, Robert Gam, the party’s Secretary-General, was ‘kidnapped’ on 20 September, having been subjected to ‘harassment and intimidation’ by authorities since the killing of the party’s leader Yaya Dillo in February 2024. Days earlier, Gam had threatened protests over the ongoing detention of several of Dillo’s associates. Allah Ridy Koné, an executive of the MPS, was arrested by security forces on 28 September. The reasons for the arrests remained unclear at the end of September, but according to the World Organisation Against Torture, they coincided with a ‘resurgence of arbitrary arrests and secret detentions by the intelligence services in Chad’.
Sources: Jeune Afrique, Radio France Internationale, International Crisis Group, International IDEA, World Organisation Against Torture
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