Mahamat Deby of Chad is declared the victor of the contentious election

After rejecting the challenges of two losing candidates, Chad’s constitutional council on Thursday officially recognized Mahamat Idriss Deby as the winner of the May 6 presidential election, solidifying a victory that prolonged his family’s decades-long control.

Deby, who took over the reigns on the day his father, President Idriss Deby, was assassinated by rebels in 2021 and proclaimed himself as acting leader, secured 61% of the vote, a significant advantage against Succes Masra, who came in second with 18.54%, according to the council.

Masra, the leader of the opposition, accepted the council’s decision without stating that he would challenge it.

The oil-producing nation is the first in a line of coup-hit Sahelian republics in West and Central Africa to try holding elections in an effort to restore constitutional governance.

It has remained a crucial Western ally in the battle against insurgencies in the Sahel region connected to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, even after Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso expelled Western forces and turned to Russia for assistance in their place.

However, since the head of Chad’s air force ordered the United States to stop operations at an aviation base last month due to paperwork issues, Washington and the former colonial power France have been closely monitoring the situation. In response, the United States declared the temporary pullout of at least some soldiers.

In a statement, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed Washington’s worry at the exclusion of thousands of observers from civil society and opposition parties from watching the election day procedures.

Miller also voiced concern about the fact that the institutions in charge of organizing the elections were not established by the transitional government in a way that was entirely inclusive.

“Although there were troubling shortcomings, we welcome the milestones in Chad’s transition process, including negotiating with insurgents, undertaking a National Dialogue, holding a constitutional referendum, and conducting a presidential election,” he stated.

Masra, who was named prime minister of a transitional administration in January, filed an appeal with the constitutional council on Monday in an effort to contest the preliminary findings that were made public last week.

He had declared victory and claimed premeditated election fraud before the official preliminary results were made public.

The second contender who contested the preliminary results, Albert Pahimini Padacke, congratulated Deby on his victory.

The constitutional council determined that there was insufficient evidence in both allegations.

“In view of the votes cast on the occasion of the presidential election of May 6, Mahamat Idriss Deby having obtained … more than the absolute majority of votes cast, that it is appropriate to declare him president-elect of the republic,” the head of the council, Jean-Bernard Padare,

The family has maintained a tight hold on power since Deby’s father overthrew the government in a coup in the early 1990s, and Deby’s triumph strengthens their hold on power.

According to Amnesty International and Chadian media, after the preliminary results were announced on Friday, celebratory gunfire resulted in the deaths of at least 10 people, including children, and the injuries of numerous others.

On February 28, the day the election date was set, Yaya Dillo, another opposition figure who was anticipated to run, was shot and killed in N’Djamena. Dillo’s death has been referred to by the opposition as an assassination, and forensic specialists have concluded that he was most likely shot at close range.

A boycott was advocated for prior to the election by a few opposition parties and civil society organizations who said Deby and his allies controlled the constitutional council and other key institutions of power and could thus sway the outcome.

Results of polling places cannot be published, according to the authorities.