Chadians vote in a pivotal election amid accusations of it being a setup to prolong the Deby family's rule after three decades.Chadians voted Monday in a presidential election aimed at ending three years of military rule but dismissed by opponents of junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno as a fix.
The nation is also France’s last military foothold in the Sahel region, with 1,000 soldiers. The three other junta-led regimes drove out French anti-jihadist forces, cutting ties with Paris in favour of closer links to Russia. While turnout seemed slow shortly after polls opened in the capital N’Djamena, it had picked up by mid-morning in the more than 20 polling stations visited by AFP journalists.
However, economist Masra, also aged 40, has ramped up considerable support on the stump in recent weeks and could force a second round. Known as MIDI for his initials and as “the Man in Dark Glasses”, Mahamat promised an 18-month transition to democracy but then extended it by two years. Masra was among the opponents driven out of the country but later returned and was named prime minister in January.The International Federation for Human Rights has warned that the election appears “neither credible, free nor democratic”.The International Crisis Group also warned that “a number of problems in the run-up to the balloting cast doubt on its credibility”.
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