Paris, N’Djamena, 17 October 2025. On 3 October 2025, the Chadian Parliament, which is controlled by the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement [MPS] party, used an expedited procedure without debate to revise the Constitution which had been adopted by referendum on 29 December 2023. The new constitutional law was promulgated by the Chadian President on 8 October.
The changes made to the constitution concern the Office of President. They provide for a seven-year term for the office of president [previously five years] and remove term limits. The new constitutional law gives Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno the ability to be president for life, as was the case with his father, Idriss Déby Itno, who ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 30 years until his death on 20 April 2021. Article 67 reads, "the President of the Republic shall be elected for a seven-year term by direct universal suffrage and may be re-elected." The new provisions also extend the term of office for the members of parliament, from five to six years and also allow the Chadian President to invoke force majeure to avoid holding elections within the statutory time frame (Article 285).
"This umpteenth blow to democracy will only exacerbate the Chadian people’s mistrust of national institutions, in a context marked by several incidents of political violence and human rights violations (…) The strengthening of the current regime’s grip on power also raises fears of an increase in the violation of fundamental freedoms, specifically freedom of expression, of the press, of association, and the right to protest, and in the number of attacks on human rights defenders, which are regularly committed with complete impunity", explained Agnès Ildijma Lokiam, ATPDH President.
An expedited and opaque procedure that reveals the true intentions of the Chadian regime
On 26 September 2025, just one week before the parliamentary vote, the president of the congress presented, for consideration by the joint committee, a draft bill containing a technical revision of the Constitution of 29 December 2023. The draft bill was initially scheduled to be voted on 13 October 2025. But on 3 October, much earlier than planned, Parliament was convened to vote on the bill. Opposition MPs felt caught off guard and boycotted the vote. To circumvent the requirement for a referendum, the proposed changes were inappropriately and unlawfully described as ‘technical’ making it possible to have it go through Parliament.
The regime in power chose to avoid any expression of the will of the people on the revision of the Constitution. The parliamentary procedure that was used to avoid holding a referendum, in a context where the executive branch of government holds the majority in Parliament, is a breach of the legal requirement for a referendum provided for in the Constitution of December 2023. Article 281 reads "the revision shall be approved by referendum." The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, ratified by Chad in 2011, also makes public participation "an inalienable right of the people". Article 10 reads, "State Parties shall ensure that the process of amendment or revision of their constitution reposes on national consensus, obtained if need be, through referendum."
Adoum Boukar Mahamat, President of the Ligue Tchadienne des Droits de l’Homme (LTDH) explained, "This constitutional amendment is for the personal benefit of the President and not in the interest of the Chadian people. That is why we are not surprised that the process has been so opaque and exclusive. Neither civil society nor any other sector of Chadian society were consulted or involved. Given the matters at stake and the context, the President of the Republic should have submitted the revision directly to the people via a referendum, as provided for in the Constitution. (...) The lack of public consultation is characteristic of the regime’s desire to carry out another coup and plunge Chad further into authoritarianism and in consequence into political instability."
The lack of political change exacerbates chronic political instability and insecurity in Chad
Since its independence, Chad has never experienced a democratic change of government. This is largely due to recurring rebellions, political violence, and human rights violations. Former President Idriss Déby Itno served six consecutive five-year terms as head of state.
The signatory organisations hereunder denounce the seizure of power and the perpetuation of a dynasty at the head of the State, in violation of Chad’s international and regional commitments. The signatories call on the African Union to act, in application of Article 23 of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which states that "illegal means of accessing or maintaining power constitute an unconstitutional change of government and shall draw appropriate sanctions by the Union."
In April 2021, at the start of the transition, the FIDH, ATPDH and LTDH called for a return to the rule of law and the establishment of a civilian and democratic government, emphasizing that the end of Idriss Déby Itno’s regime should mark a turning point in favour of the reinstatement and effective protection of the rights and freedoms of the Chadian people. In 2024, ahead of the presidential election, FIDH once again warned of the need for inclusive institutional and electoral reforms to promote transparency and a culture of democracy. Three years into the transition, it is clear that national institutions continue to lack consensus and credibility. The situation is exacerbated by the irregularities observed during the electoral process. On 9 May 2024, Mahamat Idriss Déby was elected President amid post-election protests and acts of violence and the muzzling of the political opposition.
On 16 May 2025, Succès Masra, former Prime Minister and President of the Les Transformateurs party, and Déby’s main political opponent ―Masra came in second and contested the election results―was arrested in spectacular circumstances. On 9 August, in the wake of a politically motivated trial, Masra was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined one billion CFA francs in damages. On 28 February 2024, opposition leader
Yaya Dilloafter 30 years at the helm of the country. The day before, the Independent National Electoral Commission had announced his re-election as President of the Republic of Chad for a sixth term. He had nearly 80% of the vote. Shortly after its creation, the CMT, chaired by Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, son of Idriss Déby Itno, declared the suspension of the Constitution, the dissolution of the government and the National Assembly, the temporary closure of borders, and imposed a curfew throughout the country. On 21 April 2021, a Transition Charter was unilaterally adopted by the CMT, without consultation with political actors and civil society. This charter confirmed the creation of three transitional bodies for the next 18 months, repealed applicable law, indicated the adoption of a new constitution by referendum, and promised the organisation of free and transparent elections at the end of an 18-month transition period, renewable only one time.
The harassment and persecution of political opponents and civil society continued in a context of shrinking civic space, political violence, and impunity. The violations have continued during the political transition period and since the return to constitutional law in May 2024. On Thursday, 20 October 2022 protests against the extension of the transition period and Déby Itno’s continued hold on power were violently repressed. According to information provided by the government, there were at least "50 deaths and more than 300 injured". In a joint report published in April 2023, the Ligue tchadienne des droits de l’Homme (LTDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) documented the planned and disproportionate use of the armed forces, the persecution of opponents, forced disappearances, and mass deportations to places of detention where torture has been used, 218 deaths, dozens of people tortured, hundreds injured, at least 40 cases of disappearance, and 1,300 arrests.