Chadian constitutional referendum, 2005

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A constitutional referendum was held in Chad on 6 June 2005. The amendments to the constitution were approved by 66% of voters.

Chad Country in central Africa

Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in north-central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. It is the fifth largest country in Africa and the second-largest in Central Africa in terms of area.

Constitution of Chad

The Constitution of the Republic of Chad is the supreme law of Chad. Chad's seventh constitution, it was adopted in 1996, six years after President Idriss Déby rose to power following a successful rebellion against President Hissène Habré, this formal document establishes the framework of the Chadian state and government and enumerates the rights and freedoms of its citizens. In its current form, the contents of the Constitution include a preamble, 16 parts and 225 articles.

Contents

Background

The proposed amendments to the constitution included the removal of two-term limit on the President, the replacement of the Senate with a Cultural, Economic and Social Council and giving the President powers to amend the constitution.

The amendments were proposed by incumbent President Idriss Déby, who was due to complete his second term in 2006. In June 2001 Déby had promised to step down after his second term, stating: I make a public commitment: I will not be candidate at the 2006 presidential election. I will not change the Constitution [...] What remains to do for me in my last mandate, is to prepare Chad for alternation in government.

Idriss Déby Chadian politician

General Idriss Déby Itno is a Chadian politician who has been the President of Chad since 1990. He is also head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He took power at the head of a rebellion against President Hissène Habré in December 1990 and has since survived various rebellions against his own rule. He won elections in 1996 and 2001, and after term limits were eliminated he won again in 2006, 2011, and 2016. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006. He is a graduate of Muammar Gaddafi's World Revolutionary Center.

Campaign

While Dèby's Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) campaigned for "yes", the opposition was divided among those who called for a boycott of the vote and those who called for a "no" vote. The abstensionists allied themselves in the Coordination des Partis politiques pour la Défense de la Constitution (CPDC), an alliance of 24 parties including the Rally for Democracy and Progress and the Union for Renewal and Democracy. The parties that campaigned for a "no" vote included the Front of Action Forces for the Republic and the Rally for the Republic – Lingui.

The Patriotic Salvation Movement is the ruling political party in Chad.

The Rally for Democracy and Progress is a political party in Chad, led by Lol Mahamat Choua.

The Union for Renewal and Democracy is a political party in Chad. Its current president is Sande Ngaryimbé, its first being Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué.

Results

Do you support the constitutional law proposal of revision of the Constitution of 31 March 1996 approved by the National Assembly on 23 May 2004?
ChoiceVotes%
For1,835,39265.75
Against956,18034.25
Invalid/blank votes74,810
Total2,866,382100
Registered voters/turnout4,958,15657.81
Source: African Elections Database

By region

RegionsRegistered VotersVotersInvalid VotesValid VotesFor%Against%Turnout
Batha 313,441203,9551,943202,012137,22467.9364,78832.0765.1
Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti 96,94569,71875668,96252,48776. 1116,47523.8971.9
Chari-Baguirmi 260,297150,3713,478146,89392,54863.0054,34537.0057.8
Guéra 248,861151,5161,884149,632102,04668.2047,58631.8060.9
Hadjer-Lamis 328,955217,3272,740214,587144,93667.5469,65132.4666.1
Kanem 300,089159,220901158,319110,72669.9447,59330.0653.1
Lac 202,651124,1611,219122,94287,98171.5634,96128.4461.3
Logone Occidental 268,521121,0175,971115,04658,29250.6756,75449.3345.1
Logone Oriental 258,420138,7864,530134,25676,92757.3057,32942.7053.7
Mandoul 242,256171,0007,523163,477102,81262.8960,66537.1170.6
Mayo-Kebbi Est 323,160178,8334,012174,821104,27959.6570,54240.3555.3
Mayo-Kebbi Ouest 195,714137,3666,143131,22381,59362.1849,63037.8270.2
Moyen-Chari 243,182117,0955,860111,23561,92355.6749,31244.3348.2
Ouaddaï 507,112384,5859,038375,547274,98273.22100,56513.0483.7
Salamat 161,162101,339849100,49068,64768.3131,84331.6962.9
Tandjilé 253,795129,5904,980124,61074,04559.4250,56540.5851.1
Wadi Fira 190,234137,4821,026136,45695,67870.1240,77829.8872.3
N'Djamena 563,361173,02111,957161,064108,26667.2252,79832.7830.7
Total4,958,1562,866,38274,8102,791,5721,835,39265.75956,18034.2557.8
Source: African Elections Database

Aftermath

The constitutional amendment allowed Déby to contest the 2006 presidential elections, in which he won a third term.

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