Politics

Chad votes in favour of junta-backed new constitution

Published

11 months ago

December 25, 2023

In a referendum held last month, Chadians approved a new constitution that has drawn criticism for potentially strengthening the position of junta chief Mahamat Idriss Deby.

The government commission that organized the referendum announced on Sunday that 86% of voters had approved it. The reported voter turnout was roughly 64%.

The referendum, according to Chad’s military authorities, is an important first step towards elections that will take place the following year, a long-awaited return to democratic governance. They took control of the country in 2021 after former president Idriss Deby was slain in combat with rebels.

Chad has been a unitary state since independence, and the new constitution will preserve this status, although some opponents have advocated for the establishment of a federal state because it would promote growth.

Following the unexpected death of his father, Idriss Déby Itno, president since 1990, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno took over as head of the Transitional Military Council (Conseil Militaire de Transition, CMT) in April 2022.

Several opposition parties demanded a boycott of the election, claiming the junta had excessive influence over the process.

Deby had originally promised an 18-month transition before elections, but last year, his government passed resolutions postponing the polls until 2024 and allowing him to run for president in the final vote.

Security forces have allegedly arbitrarily detained protestors, many of whom reported being subjected to torture and other forms of mistreatment while in custody. There have also been reports of excessive force, such as live ammunition and tear gas, to disperse opposition-led demonstrations across the nation.

Related Topics:#CHAD Featured Referendum

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

6 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.