The president of Chad calls for voting in today’s legislative elections to promote political decentralization

MADRID Dec. 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, voted this Sunday in the legislative, regional and local elections and has called for a high participation to promote the political decentralization of the country.

The president voted at a polling station near the Presidency headquarters amid a wide deployment of security forces.

“By divine grace I have been able to fulfill my duty to vote for those who will represent me at the legislative, provincial and communal levels,” he stated, according to a statement from the Presidency. “Every vote counts,” he stressed.

The president has highlighted that this is “a historic day for our country” because these elections “make way for an era of decentralization that the Chadian people so long for.”

The opposition has asked not to participate in the voting process, which is currently being carried out normally, although with delays in the opening of some polling stations due to logistical problems such as lack of ballot boxes or observers. These are the first legislative elections held in the country since 2011.

On Saturday, members of the Armed Forces and nomads already voted with a historical record of participation of 72 percent for the military and 54 percent for nomads, according to the National Election Management Agency (ANGEL), according to the RFI station.