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(Ecofin Agency) – The date for Chad’s constitutional referendum has finally been announced, after several disagreements over formalities.
The constitutional referendum in Chad will take place on December 17, 2023, as announced by the National Commission responsible for its organization (Conorec), which has also revealed the electoral process timeline.
The first step towards the referendum is voter registration for the revision of the electoral lists from the 2021 biometric file. “For the revision of the electoral list, for more efficiency and broader coverage, Conorec has chosen a two-phase approach, with equal durations of 15 days for voter registration,” Limane Mahamat, Conorec’s President, explained.
The first phase will run from July 24 to August 7 in the seven southern provinces with the highest population, followed by the remaining 16 provinces from August 23 to September 6. The new electoral file is expected on November 12, and the electoral campaign will take place from November 25 to December 15. Provisional results will be announced on December 26 before being transmitted to the Constitutional Court for validation.
Approved on June 27 by a majority of the members of the Transitional National Council, the project for a new Constitution aims to ensure a return to constitutional order in Chad. However, there have been deep divisions among the government, opposition, and civil society regarding the organization and composition of Conorec, which is considered biased. The Civil society, feeling excluded, also accuses the transitional government of trying to impose a unitary state.
According to a survey conducted in April 2023 by the Center for Development Studies and Extremism Prevention, 55.9% of Chadians prefer a federal form of state, while 37.1% prefer a decentralized unitary state.
Victoria Sedji
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