N’DJAMENA: Polls opened in Chad on Sunday for a referendum on a new constitution, a vote seen as a key step towards elections and the return of civilian rule promised, but postponed, by the ruling military junta.

A large section of the opposition and civil society in the central African country have called for a boycott.

They say the vote is designed to pave the way for the election of the current transitional president, General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, and the continuation of a “dynasty” begun by his late father 33 years ago following a coup.

The “yes” camp seems assured of victory after a well-financed campaign by the ruling junta against a divided opposition, whose members have faced arrest, intimidation and threats for more than a year. The capital N’Djamena has been plastered with posters championing a “yes” vote to bring in a constitution for a “unitary and decentralised state”.

It is not very different from the constitution that the military repealed in 2021, enshrining a regime in which most of the power is concentrated in the head of state.

The “yes” camp says a unitary state is the only way to preserve unity, while federalism, sought by opposition groups, would encourage “separatism” and “chaos”.

Deby was first to place his vote at a polling station in N’Djamena near the presidential palace.

“Each ballot placed in the ballot box is a further step towards stability and prosperity for our country,” he said. Provisional results are scheduled to be published on Dec 24, with the Supreme Court due to validate them four days later. Voter turnout at midday in the capital appeared limited, according journalists.

The head of the body organising the referendum, Limane Mahamat, said that Sunday was a day of worship, suggesting that more people would head to polling stations later in the day. But some electors in the capital remained defiant.

“Voting or not voting makes no difference, the result is known in advance,” said Mahamat Issa, a civil servant who refused to cast a ballot. In southern parts of the city, often opposition strongholds, journalists observed a relative enthusiasm for the vote. “I’m going to vote ‘no’ to respect the instructions of my party,” said Gilbert Alain, adding that he was a “federalist”.

In the north of N’Djamena, Zenana Mahamat was one of the few people out to vote at midday. “I voted ‘yes’ for peace,” she said.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2023