On 6 May 2024, Chad held its presidential election. Mr Mahamat Idriss Déby, the transitional leader, won, securing 61% of the votes. Out of the ten presidential candidates, there was one woman. The election marked the return to civilian rule following the military takeover in 2021.
The Republic of Chad held its presidential election on 6 May 2024. Ten candidates contested the polls. Mahamat Idriss Déby, the transitional President and son of longtime President Idriss Déby, won with 61% of the votes, avoiding a second round. Former Prime Minister Succes Masra, following as the first runner-up, secured 18.54% of the votes, while Mr Albert Pahimi Padacké 16.93%. Ms Lydie Beassemda, representative of the Party for Integral Democracy and Independence (PDI), was the only woman who ran in these elections. She received 0.96% of the total votes.
Violence and accusations of election rigging and irregularities marked the pre- and post-election periods in Chad. Three months before the election, opposition leader Yaya Dillo was killed in a shootout with security forces. There were also reports of politicians excluded from participating in the presidential polls by the Constitutional Council due to “irregularities, which they argued were politically motivated.
On election day, soldiers and riot police maintained a heavy presence in the opposition-leaning neighbourhoods of N'Djamena. There were reports of shootouts around polling areas, seizing and stuffing of ballot boxes in favour of Deby. Security forces were deployed to maintain order after the polls closed and counting began. Former Prime Minister Succes Masra had reported growing insecurity and threats of violence against him during this time. Meanwhile, the European Union criticised Chad's National Election Management Agency (ANGE) for failing to accredit 2,900 EU-funded civil society representatives as voting observers. Moreover, the International Crisis Group said several problems "in the run-up to the balloting cast doubt on its credibility."
After the provisional results were announced, Mr Masra accused President Deby of rigging the elections. Mr Masra requested that the Court annul the results. Moreover, Mr Masra declared himself the winner and asked his supporters to “mobilise peacefully.” The Court rejected Mr Masra’s request. When the final election results were announced, celebratory gunfire in N'Djamena reportedly killed at least nine people and injured 60.
Women’s Political Representation
Chadian women are underrepresented in the country’s transition and its political life. After the death of former President Idriss Deby in 2021 and the military takeover, Chad’s National Assembly and its government were dissolved. The Transitional Military Council, the de facto government overseeing the transition to democratic rule, adopted the Transitional Charter, which established the Transitional National Council (TNC). Per the Transitional Charter, the President of the TNC appoints the members who represent groups such as political parties, civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations and youth groups. Following the quota requirement, all groups were requested to include at least 30% of female candidates. In 2024, Chad adopted Decree No. 0027/PT/2024, which expanded the TNC from 197 to 203 members. Women currently hold 53 (26.1%) out of the 203 seats in the TNC. The Transitional Military Council further established a 40-person cabinet, 9 (22.5%) of whom were women.
Ms Lydie Beassemda, the sole female candidate in the 2024 presidential elections, had previously run in the 2021. So far, she is the only woman to run for President of Chad. Ms Beassemd was one of the 9 female ministers (22.5%) in the 40-person cabinet set up by the TNC and served as the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation. Prior to this, she was secretary of the PDI in 2014, before leading the party in 2018 and her subsequent appointment as Minister of Production, Irrigation and Agricultural Equipment from 2018 to 2021.
Following the polls, Prime Minister Allamaye Halina presented the first civilian government since the transition from military rule, reducing the total number of ministers from 40 to 35. 9 (25.7%) of the 35 ministers are women. Some female ministers served in the previous cabinet, others are new. They are:
- Ms Fatime Boukar Kossei, Minister of Social Action, Solidarity & Humanitarian Affairs
- Dr. Ramatou Mahamat Houtouin, Minister & Secretary General of the Government, Responsible for the Promotion of Bilingualism & Relations With Major Institutions
- Ms Fatime Haram Acyl; Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance, In Charge of the Economy & Planning,
- Ms Fatime Aldjine Garfa; Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, In Charge of African Integration & Chadians Abroad,
- Ms Haoua Abdelkarim Ahmadaye, State Secretary for Infrastructure, In Charge of Road Maintenance.
- Ms Bourkou Louise Ngaradoumri, State Secretary for Public Health
- Ms Fatimé Goukouni Weddeye, Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, and National Meteorology. She served as Minister of Transport and Road Safety in the previous cabinet.
- Ms Amina Priscille Longoh, Minister of State and continues as Minister of Women and Early Childhood Promotion. She is the first woman to hold a Minister
- Ms Ndolonodji Alix Naïmbaye, Minister of Petroleum, Mines, and Geology. She has previously served as Secretary of State for Finance and Budget, and later as Minister of Land Affairs, Housing Development, and Urban Planning after the 2022 reshuffle.
Legal and policy reforms on women’s rights
Chad has made some progress towards strengthening women’s and girls’ rights. Concerning political rights, in 2021, the country moved towards gender parity by establishing Ordinance No. 12/PR/2018, which sets a 30% quota for women in appointed and elected positions. The Constitution of Chad, approved in the 2023 referendum, enshrines equality and non-discrimination. Moreover, it states that the State has “a duty to ensure the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and to protect their rights in all areas of private and public life (Article 15).” While the Constitution does not establish quotas, it calls for the State to promote women’s political rights through better representation in elected assemblies, institutions and public administrations (Article 34.)
Other laws adopted further protect women and girls in Chad. For example, the country has enacted legislation on violence against women and girls, such as prohibiting domestic violence and sexual abuse. Chad has also established help centres and the National House of Women, providing survivors with rehabilitation and psychosocial support. Additionally, the country prohibits female genital mutilation and trafficking. In line with the Maputo Protocol, the revised Penal Code also allows access to safe abortion after certification by a doctor and authorization by the Public Prosecutor’s office.
Challenges to women’s political participation
The disparity in political representation reflects broader systemic inequalities. Women in Chad continue to face significant barriers to achieving equality. While Chad enshrines the principle of non-discrimination in employment and provides for equal remuneration in its Labour Code, the law does not prohibit discrimination in access to credit based on gender. Furthermore, they cannot open bank accounts like men, do not have equal ownership rights to immovable property and do not have equal administrative authority over marital assets. These are some of the factors that contribute to limiting women’s participation in political and public life. Female candidates often lack sufficient resources to fund successful campaigns.
Political parties, according to reports, struggle to recruit women candidates in particular in rural areas where cultural barriers and limited public engagement also pose challenges. Moreover, women who have previously sought political office are often reluctant to run again due to past experiences, including being placed at the bottom of the list.
Women in Chad advocating for change
Chadian women’s groups and activists are actively advocating for the increased and equal participation and representation of women in the country’s transition and at all levels of decision-making. For example, in February 2024 Chadian women’s groups participated in the African Women in Transitional Governments meeting and called for women to be involved in the highest decision-making processes during political transitions. They noted that women remain underrepresented in decision-making during periods of transition despite comprising a majority of the population and bearing the brunt of the violence.
Women groups and activists, such as Women’s Voice (Voix De La Femme) have loudly condemned underrepresentation of female ministers in the current government. Women’s Voice, a non-governmental organisation advocating for the respect of women’s rights and political participation, noted the lack of respect for the country’s Inclusive and Sovereign National Dialogue, which states that more women should be appointed to government positions. As Chad has ratified the Maputo Protocol, which provides for gender equality in decision-making, women’s groups argue that the President should have involved more women in the current government.
The women’s groups and activists also highlighted that few women are among the candidates for the upcoming legislative, local, and district elections in December, emphasising President Deby’s earlier commitment to ensuring greater female participation by implementing 50% parity. Despite women making up over 51% of Chad’s population, the Agence Nationale de Gestion des Élections (ANGE) reported that less than 35% of the nominee lists submitted by political parties comprised female candidates for the legislative elections on 29 December 2024.
Conclusion
In the 2024 presidential polls, Mr Mahamat Idriss Déby emerged victorious, securing 61% of the votes. The election signalled the country’s return to civilian rule after three years under military government. Mr Allamaye Halina was appointed Prime Minister. While President Deby’s victory ignited hopes for advancing women’s political representation, the 2024 cabinet includes few women. Women make up less than a third of the members of the TNC. In the presidential polls, there was only one female candidate.
The upcoming parliamentary, provincial and municipal elections are scheduled to be held in Chad on 29 December 2024. Reports indicate that women make up less than 35% of candidates participating in the parliamentary elections. Barriers such as lack of financing and support from political parties have significantly hindered women’s participation. In response, women’s rights groups and activists are calling for stronger enforcement of gender parity laws, greater accountability from political parties, and tangible actions to ensure women’s meaningful inclusion in decision-making processes across all levels of government.