President Idriss Déby of Chad wins 5th presidential election

President Idriss Déby of Chad won a fifth term in office, the national election commission announced late Thursday, soundly defeating more than a dozen challengers to remain leader of a country that is central to Africa’s fight against Islamic militants. Mr. Déby earned 61.5 percent of the votes cast on Election Day, April 10, according to provisional results that need to be ratified by the Constitutional Council. He needed more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff. The announcement came one day after a visit by Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, and by top American military officials that highlighted Chad’s prominence in the fight against Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram. The country serves as the headquarters for a five-nation regional force intended to defeat the Nigeria-based group, which has carried out multiple attacks on Chad’s territory, including suicide bombings in the capital, Ndjamena.
Mr. Déby appeared before hundreds of supporters in the capital just after the commission’s announcement, thanking them for the win while urging them to wait for the Constitutional Council’s ratification. “It’s your victory,” he said.