2021 Chadian presidential election

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Chad on April 10, 2021.[1][2] Incumbent Idriss Déby, who has served five consecutive terms since seizing power in the 1990 coup d'état,[3] is running for a sixth.[4] Déby has been described as an authoritarian by several international media sources,[3][5][6] and as "strongly entrenched".[7] During previous elections, he has forbidden the citizens of Chad from making posts online,[6] and while Chad's total ban on social media use was lifted in 2019,[8] restrictions continue to exist.

2021 Chadian presidential election
10 April 2021
President before election

Idriss Déby
MPS

 Elected President

TBD

Chad
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According to Amnesty International, pretrial detentions, systematic bans on gatherings, and attempts to prevent the free exchange of information were rampant in Chad in the leadup to the 2021 elections; they called for the release of activists and others arrested for "disturbing public order".[9] Déby insists that the COVID-19 pandemic and misinformation are more rampant, and that he is simply cracking down on misinformation about the pandemic. He claimed in a speech that, instead of posting "authentic and verified" information, social media users engaged in "disinformation and manipulation, thus sowing doubt, panic and psychosis."[10] He further expressed the necessity of defending democracy by opposing "hate speech and divisiveness".[11]

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies noted that the presidential election "is expected to be a largely ceremonial affair given the highly limited space for the political opposition to operate".[12] Columnist Stephen Kafeero struck a similar note and focused on the current president's role, writing for Quartz Africa: "Chad is a classic example of what elections under authoritarian regimes often look like. There is limited space for competition against the interests of the incumbent Idriss Déby who has a firm grip on all branches of government and other key stakeholders like the media."[13]

Background

In the electoral system introduced in 1996, the President of Chad is elected to a five-year term using a two-round system, with an absolute majority required to prevent a second round of voting.[2] In the 2016 election, 23 candidates submitted their applications to run for the presidency, including incumbent Idriss Déby;[14] one of the opposition's most prominent members, Ngarlejy Yorongar, was prevented from running due to "administrative irregularities".[15] On the day of the 2016 election, mobile internet, fixed internet connections and SMS messaging were cut. Many foreign TV operators could not cover the post-election scene, as their filming licenses were not renewed.[16] The French broadcaster TV5Monde had their equipment confiscated, and their crew were held for several hours for filming at a polling station.[17] On 21 April 2016, the electoral commission claimed that Déby had received 61.56% of the vote (and that Saleh Kebzabo, who placed second, had received 12.80%).[18] The Constitutional Council validated the results on 4 May 2016, dismissing a joint appeal from opposition candidates on the technical grounds that it "could not review appeals submitted jointly". The final results issued by the court showed Déby with 59.92% of the vote and Kebzabo with 12.77%.[19]

References
  1. "2021 Chad Presidential Elections". National Democratic Institute. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  2. "Chad: Election for President". International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  3. "Chad's authoritarian Deby unwilling to quit". Deutsche Welle. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  4. Olivier, Mathieu (19 November 2020). "Tchad : Idriss Déby Itno, un maréchal en campagne". Jeune Afrique. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  5. Werman, Marco (5 June 2012). "ExxonMobil and Chad's Authoritarian Regime: An 'Unholy Bargain'". The World. Public Radio International. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  6. Haynes, Suyin (28 March 2019). "Chad Marks a One Year Blackout of Social Media and Internet Freedom". Time. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  7. Davis Jr., Kurt (15 December 2020). "The top five most important African elections to watch in 2021". The Africa Report. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  8. Nadjitan, Daniel N'Doh (14 July 2019). "Chad Lifts Ban on Social-Media Usage After More Than a Year". Bloomberg. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  9. Bonny, Aurore (12 December 2020). "'Violations of fundamental freedoms rising in Chad': Amnesty International urges government to free activists, guarantee freedom of expression". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  10. Déby, Idriss (24 March 2020). "COVID19 : MESSAGE A LA NATION DU PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE". Présidence de la République du Tchad. Retrieved 17 December 2020. Nous notons hélas que les réseaux sociaux, au lieu de diffuser des informations de bonne source, authentiques et vérifiées, s’adonnent à la désinformation et à la manipulation, semant ainsi le doute, la panique et la psychose.
  11. Déby, Idriss (August 2020). "MOT DU MARECHAL DU TCHAD A LA CÉRÉMONIE DE SA CONSÉCRATION A LADITE DIGNITÉ". Présidence de la République du Tchad. Retrieved 17 December 2020. Les jeunes doivent être aux avant-postes pour défendre leur pays, en s’opposant aux discours de haine et de division, en s’investissant dans les actions de développement, en s’engageant dans la lutte contre l’insécurité et l’intolérance.
  12. Siegle, Joseph; Cook, Candace (January 12, 2021). "Taking Stock of Africa's 2021 Elections". Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  13. Kafeero, Stephen (January 14, 2021). "These are the key African elections to watch in 2021". Quartz Africa. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  14. "Chad: 23 candidates file to contest April presidential election". Africanews. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  15. "Tchad: les explications du rejet de la candidature de Yorongar Ngarlejy" (in French). Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  16. "Internet remains cut in Chad after tense elections". The Citizen. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  17. "TV5 Monde blocked from covering Chad's presidential election". Africanews. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  18. "Chadian President Deby re-elected in landslide first-round victory". Reuters. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  19. "Chad constitutional council upholds Deby re-election". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
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