The provisional parliament has approved a new electoral code, which consolidates legislative and regulatory provisions for organizing presidential, senatorial, legislative, and local elections, bringing several modifications, notably regarding the presidential term.
The major changes concern the presidential term, now set at five years, renewable once. Additionally, the required age for presidential candidacy has been lowered from 45 to 35 years. For legislative elections, candidates will need to deposit a fee of 500,000 CFA francs instead of the previous 100,000 CFA francs. Independent candidacies will also be considered, a departure from the past practice.
François Djekombé, president of the USPR party supporting the transition, expressed satisfaction: “These are tools that promote youth and female empowerment. We have very good texts; now it is up to each of us to ensure their implementation.”
However, Daniel Adoumbeye, president of the Popular Front for the Federation, and a member of the GCAP, contests the content of the new code: “We have observed a denial of justice, which has become the norm. An electoral code derived from a constitution that we do not recognize does not surprise us, and it is a non-event.”
Soumaine Adoum Soumaine, spokesperson for the Wakit Tama platform, denounces the lack of respect for the process leading to the adoption of this text: “The content has not yet been sufficiently disseminated and known to the public, yet it has already been adopted by the National Transitional Council. The adoption of this code is part of a general process to create conditions for Mahamat Kaka’s victory [referring to Idriss Déby.”
This electoral code, widely endorsed by parliamentarians, is expected to facilitate the organization of upcoming elections, the dates of which are yet to be announced.