Chad’s Prime Minister and opposition leader, Succès Masra, resigned following the confirmation of interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby as the winner of the May 6 presidential election.
“In accordance with the constitution, I have today presented… my resignation and that of the transitional government, which has become irrelevant with the end of the presidential election of May 6, 2024, with known results,” Masra said on X (Twitter) on Wednesday, May 22.
Masra, a strong opponent of the junta, was appointed prime minister of the transitional government in January 2024, four months before the election, in an effort to build a positive relationship with the opposition. He declared his intention to run for president in March, aiming to return the country to constitutional rule.
Chad, an oil-exporting nation with nearly 18 million people, has not experienced a democratic transfer of power since gaining independence from French colonial rule in 1960. Before the official announcement of preliminary results, Masra claimed victory, alleging planned electoral fraud.
However, Chad’s electoral body declared Deby Itno the winner with 61% of the vote, while Masra, the leading opposition candidate and head of the transitional government, garnered only 18.5%.
Masra acknowledged the council’s ruling, stating there were no other legal means to contest the results.
Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, took power after his father, who ruled for three decades, was killed in 2021 while fighting rebels. The long-delayed election followed three years of military rule, with analysts widely expecting Deby’s victory.
