The party “Transformers” led by Success Masra denounced “serious threats and violence” posing a “risk to the electoral process.” However, the former opposition leader turned Prime Minister himself appears less definitive.
In a video statement, the Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s party outlined a series of intimidations and abuses recorded since Monday, the day of the presidential vote. Arbitrary arrests, violence and intimidation of activists, manipulation aimed at tarnishing the party’s reputation, difficulty accessing certain polling stations, and confiscation of minutes: the Secretary-General of the Transformers, Tog-Yeum Nagorngar, enumerates the grievances. Confident that the Chadians have “clearly expressed their desire for change,” he expresses concern over “very serious provocations with state resources” by those who “fear the truth of the ballot box.”
He particularly denounces a video filmed by a drone showing the inside of Success Masra’s private residence. It depicts a man carrying an empty box with a blue lid, resembling an urn. The dissemination of the video, including by ministers, accompanied accusations of cheating against candidate number 7.
His party labeled it “defamation,” but Success Masra himself seemed to downplay the issue since shortly after the publication of the video, the candidate himself spoke to journalists in a much more measured tone. He intends to remain “focused on the essentials, the truth of the ballot box,” and calls for “collective responsibility.” “There may be old reflexes, but no one should fear the new Chad,” he said. A communication somewhere in between as the compilation of the election results continues.
One of Mahamat Idriss Déby’s campaign officials, on the other hand, denounces “evasion and populism” from the Transformers, while another believes that “the campaign and the time for verbal jousting is over, and we must avoid invective and false messages while awaiting the results.”