Chad's junta-installed prime minister enters presidential race against interim leader
Succes Masra, the junta-installed prime minister of Chad has declared that he would run in the May 6 presidential election, challenging interim leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.
The former opposition leader, before taking office as prime minister in 2024 signed a reconciliation agreement with Deby Itno after returning from exile.
The 40-year-old premier declared his intention to run for the presidency in the Central African nation when he announced his candidacy for office at a rally attended by hundreds of supporters from his Transformers party on March 10.
"We are here as candidates to serve the Chadian people, Chadian men and women… Yes, I am a candidate, and we are candidates to become the next leaders of the country," Masra announced.
Chad's interim president General Mahamat Idriss Deby who took over as the transitional president in 2021 announced his plans to run in the long-awaited presidential election on March 2.
General Deby seized power following the death of his father Idriss Déby who had ruled the nation for over 30 years.
His military government promised to hold elections within 18 months but later extended the transition period by two years.
Following a constitutional referendum in December 2023 in favour of a transition to civilian rule, which opposers have argued could hand power back to the Mahamat Idriss Deby junta-led government.
The election agency of the Central African nation announced the dates of the presidential election in February, promising to hold two rounds of voting in May and June with provisional results due on July 7.
