Presidential election in Chad: mixed attendance at polling stations
In Chad, awareness-raising operation in the markets to convince people to go and vote, April 7, 2021. © RFI / Alexandra Brangeon
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
In Chad, 7.3 million voters were called to the polls on Sunday to decide between ten candidates, including the current head of state Idriss Déby Itno, who is seeking a new six-year term.
In the capital as in the provinces, there was not a crowd in front of the polling stations.
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In the city center and north of Ndjamena, where our special
correspondent Alexandra Brangeon visited
, the polling stations opened slowly and often between an hour and an hour and a half late.
Voters arrived sparingly from 9 a.m.
"
It's a duty
", "
you have to work
", "
we want stability and peace
", they explained.
In Chagoua, a district in the south of Ndjamena known to be close to the opposition, the offices were almost empty at midday.
In an hour, only four voters showed up.
"
People will come later,
" assures the manager of an office.
But outside this same office, a young man sitting on a plastic chair, does not believe it. “
The people of the neighborhood are angry, they will not come to vote.
There is no water, no electricity.
Young people have no work.
In 30 years, Déby has done nothing for his country.
There is no point in voting
”.
Low attendance in the provinces
In Abéché, the main city in eastern Chad, the municipality closed the markets, without convincing the population to go out en masse.
According to several sources on the spot, only the polling center of the Torodona market experienced a crowd in the morning.
The same goes for Sarh, in the south of the country, where most of the electoral agents have been twiddling their thumbs since the end of the morning.
There, only the big market is closed.
In the neighborhoods, people go about their business as if nothing had happened, reports correspondent
Madjiasra Nako
.
We hoped that after Mass, people would come to vote;
it is not, testifies a colleague joined on the spot.
In Moundou, the economic capital of Chad, the streets were deserted on Sunday noon.
Polling centers too.
According to several observers contacted on the spot, the polling stations which have between 300 and 400 voters welcomed for the most dynamic only about forty voters at midday.
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