Chad

The year was marked by the parliamentary and presidential elections, which took place without major incident. The security situation remained calm throughout the year, as rela- tions with Sudan remained cordial. There was some worry over the unrest in Libya, with Chadian nationals returning to the north of . The economy showed moderate growth, helped by high oil prices and an almost normal agricultural season after the bumper crop of 2010 and the drought of 2009.

Domestic Politics

Politics in Chad were dominated by the parliamentary and presidential elections, which took place on 13 February and 25 April, respectively. The parliamentary election was the first in ten years, having been postponed several times since 2006, and was the result of prolonged negotiations with the opposition within the ‘Commission Électorale Nation- ale Indépendante’ (CENI), which was established on 13 August 2007 after an agreement between the government and the ‘Coalition des Partis Politiques pour la Défense de la Constitution’. More than 100 political parties participated in the election, indicating the complete fragmentation of the opposition in the face of the ruling party and allies of President Idriss Déby Itno. Despite allegations of preferential treatment of the ruling party 228 • Central Africa by the authorities, the election itself was apparently held in a reasonably fair and free atmosphere. The ruling party, the ‘Mouvement pour le Salut de la Patrie’ (MPS), and its allies won a majority in parliament, with 125 seats out of 188. The major opposition par- ties, the ‘Union Nationale pour la Démocratie et le Rénouveau’, ‘Union pour le Rénou- veau et la Démocratie’ and ‘Rassemblement National pour la Démocratie au Tchad’ took nine, seven and seven seats, respectively, the remaining 40 being divided among a spec- trum of small political parties, often with a local and regional character. Observers said that the election did not give the opposition a real chance, since the MPS had more resources at its disposal and was helped by the administration. Others, such as the head of the EU observer delegation, Louis Michel, welcomed the election, since it opened “an unseen road to a democratic phase after decades of conflict”. The presidential election was held on 25 April, after being postponed from 3 April because of technical difficulties. It was marred by a boycott by the three major opposition candidates, Saleh Kebzabo, Wadal Abdelkader Kamougué and Ngarlejy Yorongar, when demands for new voter identification cards and numbered and secured voting slips were refused. The opposition also withdrew its participation from the CENI, which thus lost its decision-making quorum. As a result, Déby was re-elected without any serious competi- tion and took 83.6% of the votes. The two remaining opposition candidates, Albert Pahimi Padacké and Nadji Madou, took 8.6% and 7.8%, respectively. Turnout was officially given at 55.7%. Déby was sworn in for his fourth term on 8 August. In line with the constitution, a new government was appointed consisting of 40 members, with Emmanuel Nadingar re-appointed as prime minister. Despite a number of changes, some of the key figures in the government returned, including Moussa Faki Mahamat as minister of foreign affairs. Among the 40 cabinet members, five were from the ‘Rassemblement pour la Démocratie et le Progrès’ of former president Lol Mahama Choua (who served for four months in 1979), now an ally of Déby, and four were from another ally of the MPS, the ‘Rassemble- ment National Démocratique Populaire’, led by Nouradine Kassire Koumakoye. Both parties were thus rewarded for their support for the MPS in the parliamentary election. Minister of State AbdelKader Kamougué, a former minister of defence and presidential candidate, one of the most prominent Southern leaders in Chad, died on 9 May, while campaigning for his wife in a parliamentary by-election in the south of Chad. During 2011, the process of reconciliation with former rebel leaders continued. The president issued an amnesty ahead of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Chad’s independence for all rebels who were being held as prisoners of war. He also granted amnesty to a number of former rebel leaders, including Taher Guinassou, Taher Wodji, Djougourou Hemichi, Ahmat Djibrine Azene, prominent members of Mahamat Nouri’s ‘Union des Forces pour la Démocratie et Développement’, who had been in prison since November 2010. Another rebel, Colonel Djibrine Dassert of the ‘Mouvement pour la Paix, la Réconciliation et le Développement’, was captured in the south of the country in