Almost two weeks after the votes that took place in the country on December 29, 2024, the local population is awaiting the results of the latest general elections (legislative, provincial and communal). The African election observers who came to support the process are also awaiting good news from the Chadian government.
While election observation issues used to be the preserve of institutions based in Europe or the Americas, African governments have come to realize that they too can benefit from the support of African civil society players during electoral processes in their countries. In their field missions, the latter are often accompanied by the authorities in place. This is not entirely the case for the latest elections in Chad, where the current president, Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, is seeking to consolidate his reign.
According to reports, the authorities had released a substantial sum to ensure that these African observers deployed throughout the country received support worthy of their rank. But it seems that the team in charge of supporting the electoral experts has disregarded the instructions given. There are rumors of a selective sorting out by the members of the team, with the aim of satisfying a minority of observers and leaving the vast majority out in the cold.
Despite the many steps taken by these observers to obtain their rights, no door seems to be opening to them. The instigators of this scheme are keeping a lid on the affair so as not to make such a fuss in the country that the Marshal is not alerted.
For the time being, African observers are threatening to step up to the plate.
Faced with the latest events in the country, African civil society actors, who are still present in the country, have shown their support for Chad, which is also at a decisive turning point in its history.
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