Chad’s Electoral Body Disqualifies Ruling Party Official Over Criminal Record
Chad’s National Election Management Agency (ANGE) has disqualified six officials from the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party, including Secretary General Mahamat Zen Bada, from participating in the upcoming combined legislative and local elections.
The disqualification stems from undisclosed past convictions, with Zen Bada reportedly failing to disclose a 2012 conviction for forgery and the misappropriation of public funds.
Although Zen Bada was pardoned, Chadian law maintains that a pardon does not erase a conviction from one’s criminal record, making him ineligible under election guidelines.
The MPS, a prominent party established by former president Idriss Deby and now supporting his son, President Mahamat Idriss Deby, announced that it is investigating the disqualifications and will support any candidates appealing the decision. Appeals must be submitted to the Constitutional Council within five days.
In total, the ANGE has rejected 46 of the 1,321 candidates seeking to run in the legislative polls and disqualified 103 of the 1,260 applicants for local elections.
These upcoming legislative elections, scheduled for December 29, are the first since 2011, marking a significant political milestone in Chad’s governance and electoral process.