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President of the
Republic of Chad
Coat of arms of Chad.svg
Coat of arms of Chad
Mahamat Déby.jpg
Incumbent
Mahamat Déby

since 20 April 2021
Style
Residence Presidential Palace, N'Djamena
Term length Five years,
renewable once
Constituting instrument Constitution of Chad (2023)
Inaugural holder François Tombalbaye
Formation 23 April 1962; 63 years ago (1962-04-23)
Deputy President of the National Assembly
Salary 800,000 FCFA / month
Website Presidency of Chad


The President of Chad is the country's main leader. This person is the head of state and also the commander-in-chief of Chad's army. It is the most important job in the government. The president is chosen by the people in an election. They serve for five years and can be re-elected once.

So far, seven people have been the head of state in Chad. One person, Goukouni Oueddei, held the position two separate times.

The current president is Mahamat Déby. He officially became president on May 23, 2024. Before that, he was a temporary president starting in 2022. He also led the Transitional Military Council from 2021. This happened after his father, the previous president Idriss Déby, passed away during a conflict in 2021.

Presidential Term Limits

In 2018, Chad's new Constitution set rules for how long a president can serve. It said a president could only serve two terms. It also changed the length of each term from five years to six years.

However, in 2023, the people of Chad voted in a special election. They decided to change the term length back to five years. They also made it possible for someone to become president at a younger age. The minimum age was changed from 40 down to 35.

Different Titles for Chad's Leader

Over the years, the leader of Chad has been called by different names. Here are some of the titles used:

  • 1960–1962: Head of State
  • 1962–1975: President of the Republic
  • 1975          : Chairman of the Supreme Military Council
  • 1975–1978: Head of State
  • 1978–1979: President of the Republic
  • 1979          : Chairman of the Provisional Council of State
  • 1979          : President of the Transitional Government of National Unity
  • 1979          : Chairman of the Provisional Administrative Committee
  • 1979–1982: President of the Transitional Government of National Unity
  • 1982          : Chairman of the Command Council of the Armed Forces of the North
  • 1982          : Chairman of the Council of State
  • 1982–1990: President of the Republic
  • 1990          : President of the Patriotic Salvation Movement
  • 1990–1991: President of the Council of State
  • 1991–2021: President of the Republic
  • 2021–2022: President of the Transitional Military Council
  • 2022–2024: Transitional President of the Republic
  • 2024–present: President of the Republic

Who Has Been President?

This section lists the people who have served as Chad's head of state. It also shows which political group they belonged to.

Political parties

     Chadian Progressive Party (PPT) → National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution (MNRCS)      National Liberation Front of Chad (FROLINAT)–People's Armed Forces (FAP)      Popular Movement for the Liberation of Chad (MPLT)      Armed Forces of the North (FAN) / National Union for Independence and Revolution (UNIR)      Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS)

Other groups

     Military (Chadian Armed Forces and Chad National Army)

Status

     Interim Head of State

Symbols

Constitutional referendum

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Term of office Political party Prime minister(s)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 François Tombalbaye p1959.jpg François Tombalbaye
(1918–1975)
1962
1969
11 August 1960 13 April 1975
(Assassinated in a coup)
14 years, 245 days PPT
until 1973 renamed to
MNRCS
Position not established
No image.png Noël Milarew Odingar
(1932–2007)
13 April 1975 15 April 1975 2 days Military Position not established
2 No image.png Félix Malloum
(1932–2009)
15 April 1975 23 March 1979
(Resigned)
3 years, 342 days Military Habré
No image.png Goukouni Oueddei
(born 1944)
23 March 1979 29 April 1979 37 days FROLINAT–FAP Position vacant
3 No image.png Lol Mahamat Choua
(1939–2019)
29 April 1979 3 September 1979 127 days MPLT Position vacant
4 No image.png Goukouni Oueddei
(born 1944)
3 September 1979 7 June 1982
(Deposed in a coup)
2 years, 277 days FROLINAT–FAP Ngardoum
(from 19 May 1982)
5 Hissène Habré 1989.png Hissène Habré
(1942–2021)
1989 7 June 1982 2 December 1990
(Deposed in a coup)
8 years, 178 days FAN / UNIR Ngardoum
(until 19 June 1982)
Idriss Déby at the White House in 2014.jpg Idriss Déby
(1952–2021)
2 December 1990 28 February 1991 88 days MPS Position abolished
6 1996
2001
2006
2011
2016
2021
28 February 1991 20 April 2021
(Killed in action)
30 years, 51 days Bawoyeu
Yodoyman
Moungar
Koumakoye
Djimasta
Ouaido
Yamassoum
Kabadi
Faki
Yoadimnadji
Younousmi
Koumakoye
Abbas
Nadingar
Dadnadji
Deubet
Padacké
Mahamat Déby.jpg Mahamat Déby
(born 1984)
20 April 2021 Incumbent 4 years, 97 days Military / MPS Padacké
Kebzabo
Masra
Halina
7 2024

Timeline of Chad's Leaders

This timeline shows when each president or head of state served and which political group they were part of.

Mahamat Déby Idriss Déby Hissène Habré Lol Mahamat Choua Goukouni Oueddei Félix Malloum Noël Milarew Odingar François Tombalbaye

Recent Presidential Election

The most recent election for president in Chad was held in 2024. Here are the results:

Candidate Party Votes %
Mahamat Déby Patriotic Salvation Movement 3,777,279 61.00
Succès Masra Les Transformateurs 1,148,245 18.54
Albert Pahimi Padacké National Rally for Democracy in Chad 1,048,015 16.93
Lydie Beassemda Party for Integral Democracy and Independence [fr] 59,632 0.96
Théophile Bongoro [fr] Party for Rally and Equity in Chad 46,784 0.76
Alladoum Djarma [ha] Chadian Socialist Action for Renewal 33,765 0.55
Brice Guedmbaye [ha] Movement of Patriotic Chadians for the Republic 27,848 0.45
Yacine Abdramane Sakine [fr] Reformist Party [fr] 22,328 0.36
Mansiri Lopsikréo [fr] Les Élites 15,147 0.24
Nasra Djimasngar [fr] A New Day 12,738 0.21
Total 6,191,781 100.00
Valid votes 6,191,781 99.62
Invalid/blank votes 23,463 0.38
Total votes 6,215,244 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 8,202,207 75.78
Source: Africa 24

See also

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