Chad: Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno promulgates the revised Constitution

This revision paves the way for a seven-year presidential term, renewable without limit. The ceremony was held at Toumaï Palace, in the presence of the Prime Minister, the heads of key institutions, and close collaborators of the head of state.

The Congress, made up of deputies and senators, had approved the text by an overwhelming majority: out of 257 parliamentarians, 236 voted in favor, 3 abstained and none voted against. Opposition elected officials had left the chamber before the vote, denouncing “an institutional and electoral lockdown” and accusing the majority of “crucifying Chad” by allowing a presidency without limits.

The revision also allows the president to hold positions within a political party, removing the incompatibility provided for by the previous Constitution. For some deputies, like Béral Mbaikoubou, it is a “power grab” by those in power, designed “to measure for the President’s ambitions”.