News in Chad: An opposition determined to prevent the constitutional referendum of December 2023
Chad is facing political tensions ahead of the constitutional referendum scheduled for December 2023. As the country seeks to end its transition period since the death of President Idriss Deby in April 2021, opponents of the constitutional project are mobilized to prevent the holding of the ballot.
Critics are flying against the referendum process, deemed illegitimate and opaque. Max Kemkoye, president of the Union of Democrats for Development and Progress (UDP) and head of the Concertation group of political actors, is one of the main detractors. According to him, the constitutional project is developed in secret by the power in place and its allies, leaving no room for citizen participation. “This project is under the cloak and under the table, and it is power alone and its allies who participate”, he denounces.
Faced with this situation, the opposition is mobilizing to block the referendum. Max Kemkoye announces a “blocking at all levels”, without giving further details. For him, it is not just a question of voting against or boycotting the election, but of preventing it from being held. According to him, there is no stake in participating in this election, but rather in blocking it given that public and political freedoms are limited in Chad.
This opposition to the referendum highlights the political differences and tensions existing in Chad. The proposed new Constitution maintains the unitary form of the state, which has drawn criticism from supporters of federalism. The stakes of this constitutional reform are therefore important and arouse passionate debates in the country.
It is important to closely follow the evolution of the situation in Chad in the coming months, as the constitutional referendum approaches