In Chad, the period for submitting candidacies for the presidential election on May 6 ended at midnight. At 8 p.m. Friday evening, around fifteen political figures in total had submitted their candidacy files to the Constitutional Council.
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With our correspondent in Ndjamena, Carol Valade
They waited until the last minute. Half a dozen political figures jostle on the steps of the Constitutional Council of the Chad, including the only female candidate declared so far. “ Chadian women also have all the capabilities to manage a country. I have decided to participate in this presidential race and I assure you that the general surprise is ahead of us », declares Mariam Djelar Koumadji.
We also meet the fervent defender of a federal state, Brice Mbaïmon. However, he denounces the control of the MPS, the party of the president-candidate, over electoral institutions. “ Defeatism is not our hobby. I believe that as long as the supporters of the regime want to perpetuate the system, as long as we will mark them with our presence so that it changes. We cannot continually oppress the people », Estimates the candidate.
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As for Rakhis Ahmat Saleh, he promises to be a normal president. “ I will be the next president and I will not live in a palace. I will not be in an ivory tower or a bunker that would separate me from the Chadians. I will always be an ordinary citizen who will continue to experience the suffering of Chadians, among them and in their neighborhoods. “, he said. The final list of candidates validated by the Constitutional Council will be published on March 24.
In total, around fifteen people submitted their candidacy for the election. This election is supposed to put an end to the transition period that began in April 2021 following the death of President Idriss Déby and the accession to power of his son, Mahamat Déby, carried by a group of soldiers. It comes in a context of tensions marked by the death of opponent Yaya Dillo, killed during an army raid on his party headquarters on February 28, but also of social crisis since the brutal rise in food prices. fuel.
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