2011 Chadian parliamentary election

Background

On 13 August 2007, the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) of President Idriss Déby, its allies, and most opposition parties signed an agreement after six months of negotiations concerning the organisation of the election. Under the agreement, an electoral census would be conducted and an improved electoral register would be created. A new 31-member independent electoral commission, composed of equal numbers of representatives from the ruling majority and the opposition, and chaired by a mutually agreed-upon president, would also be established.

The agreement additionally provided for the introduction of single ballots, for security forces to vote one day before the general population, and for nomadic populations to vote on election day rather than beforehand, as had been the case previously. The agreement also included provisions for opposition participation in the government. To allow for its implementation, the election was postponed until 2009 and the mandate of the current National Assembly was extended accordingly. Déby described the agreement as a step towards peace. In total, 87 parties signed the agreement; the only major opposition party that did not sign was the Federation, Action for the Republic (FAR).

FAR President Ngarlejy Yorongar criticised the agreement as insufficient, describing its signing as a "waste of time." He argued that a comprehensive dialogue involving all political actors—including rebels, exiled opposition figures, and civil society—was necessary, and maintained that a credible election could not take place while rebellion persisted in parts of the country. Yorongar also expressed concern that the independent electoral commission would remain subordinate to the Constitutional Council, which he alleged was controlled by Déby, and objected to the government overseeing the electoral census instead of the commission.

A committee to oversee implementation of the agreement was subsequently established, headed by Lol Mahamat Choua, President of the Rally for Democracy and Progress opposition party. During the battle between government forces and rebels in N'Djamena in February 2008, several opposition leaders, including Choua, were arrested, leading some opposition members to question the future of the agreement.

Following these arrests, the Coordination of Political Parties for the Defence of the Constitution (CPDC)—a coalition whose leader, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, was among those detained—suspended its participation in the follow-up committee.

Approximately 4.8 million citizens were registered to vote, representing around two-fifths of the population.

Campaign

Patriotic Salvation Movement

President Déby stated regarding the elections that "everyone has something to win. A greater presence of the opposition will only increase the credibility [of the government]".

Opposition

The opposition consisted of more than one hundred small parties, most of which were underfunded and highly fragmented. The main opposition coalition was the Coordination of Political Parties for the Defence of the Constitution (CPDC), an umbrella group comprising 20 parties, four of which held seats in the then-current parliament.

In the lead-up to the elections, the CPDC accused the government of monopolising state media and criticised what it described as "the interference of officials at all levels in the electoral process on the one hand, and the overuse of means and assets of the state for electioneering".

Conduct

In N'Djamena, President Déby called on all citizens to fulfil their civic duty and choose their representatives in the national parliament.

Both the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) sent electoral observers to monitor the vote. The EU mission reported that it had found no evidence of fraud. Louis Michel, head of the EU observer mission, stated: "From our observations, we have not seen any irregularities specifically aimed at fraud". He noted that "in some polling stations there is a lack of material and organisation," but added that "these are fair, democratic and transparent elections." Michel also commented on the overall atmosphere: "The mood is good and peaceful. There is no violence".

Results

The Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS), led by President Déby, won 110 of the 188 parliamentary seats, securing a majority. An additional 21 seats were won by allied parties, giving Déby's supporters an absolute majority. The results were viewed as an indication of strong support for Déby ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April.

A total of sixteen parties won at least one seat. The most successful opposition party was the National Union for Democracy and Renewal, led by Saleh Kebzabo, which won 11 seats.

References

References

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