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The election in Chad of the members of the presidium took place in a stormy atmosphere. The presidium is in charge of leading the work of the inclusive and sovereign national dialogue (DNIS) between the civilian and armed opposition and the junta
The election in Chad of the members of the presidium took place in a stormy atmosphere. The presidium is in charge of leading the work of the inclusive and sovereign national dialogue (DNIS) between the civilian and armed opposition and the junta.
The head of the junta, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, started the dialogue on August 20. It is boycotted by some armed groups and members of civil society and is a precursor to free and democratic elections and the transfer of power to civilians.
More than 500 of the 1,400 dialogue delegates applied to join the 21-member presidium. They were nominated by members of the Organizing Committee for the Inclusive National Dialogue (CODNI).
Gali Ngothé Gatta, was elected to head the presidium. He was a presidential candidate in 2016 against the former head of state Idriss Déby Itno, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 30 years. It is widely believed that he is the right person for the job because of his convictions on democratic institutions. But when the composition of this body was announced, many delegates stood up and shouted in protest for not including enough Arabic speakers on the list. They called on Mahamat Idriss Déby to remedy this, lest they would not participate in this dialogue.
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Apart from the president, the other members of the presidium are more or less on the same side of the political spectrum. Eleven professional federations are participating in the dialogue, including those of lawyers and doctors. In the meantime, several small political parties had threatened on Saturday to withdraw from the dialogue, denouncing “manoeuvres aimed at undermining the success of this dialogue long awaited by the Chadian people. The dialogue will cover subjects like social issues, peace, national reconciliation, and fundamental freedoms and will close on September 20.
