Chad junta’s main opponents barred from presidential vote

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

Authorities in Chad said on March 24 they had barred 10 candidates, including two fierce opponents of the military regime, from standing in the presidential election on May 6.

More on news:

The constitutional court said the candidates’ applications — namely those of outspoken opponents Nassour Ibrahim NeguyKoursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh — had been rejected because they included “irregularities”.

Change of stance

The new President promised to hand power back to a civilian government within 18 months and told the African Union he would not stand for election as President.
But he then extended the transition period by two more years and on March 2 officially announced he would run for the top office.
The constitutional council also announced it was opening a preliminary investigation for alleged forgery and use of forged documents against Mr. Koursami over suspicions with papers in support of his candidacy.

Areas in news:

Chad:

Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is an independent state at the crossroads of North and Central Africa.
The landlocked country is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
Chad has several regions: the Sahara desert in the north, an arid zone in the center known as the Sahel and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south.
Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the second-largest wetland in Africa.
Chad’s official languages are Arabic and French.
It is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups.
Islam (55.1%) and Christianity (41.1%) are the main religions practiced in Chad.