The opposition rose in Chad after the adoption, Friday, June 2, by the Council of Ministers, of a draft Constitution. She denounces a “political fraud”. The text must be submitted to a popular referendum this year according to the timetable adopted by Conorec, the body responsible for its organization.
The Chadian opposition did not wait to see the draft constitution to oppose it. Several leaders began to denounce a choice which betrayed, according to them, “ I’spirit and letter of inclusive and sovereign national dialogue “. This is the case of Théophile Bongoro, at the head of the Alliance Victoire. He accuses the government of wanting to force the hand of the Chadian people: “ There, it is pure and simple banditry because we are forcing the hand of the people to choose a single form of the State which is the unitary State. However, the referendum was to be on: Do you want a unitary state or do you want a decentralized state? And there was the Constitution which befits each of these two forms of State. But there, it is neither more nor less than political trickery ”.
The Chadian government did not want to react, for the moment, but a government source reminds us that during a referendum, a simple question is asked and answered with yes or no.
“Are you for a unitary state or a federal state? »
Even his side of the MPS, the party of the late former president Idriss Deby Itno. It’s IIt is impossible to prepare the two draft Constitutions at the same time, explains the spokesperson for the MPS, Jean-Bernard Padaré: “ During the vote, the question will be asked: are you for a unitary state or a federal state? Because indeed, if today, you ask that we present two Constitutions, we don’t even know how many Federated States we will have”.
This preliminary draft will have to be adopted by the National Transitional Council, a mere formality given its composition, according to the opposition, before being submitted to a popular referendum towards the end of the year, if all goes as foreseen. It is then of the inclusive and sovereign national dialogue of August 2023 in N’Djamena, and which had been boycotted by part of the opposition, which the parties had decided to let the people make their choice. “So that’s what will be done,” explain the supporters of power.
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