54-year-old Albert Pahimi Padacke, who came second in the April11, 2021 presidential election in Chad, is appointed Prime Minister for the 18-month transition decided by the ruling junta.
A former Minister of Finance and Trade, he is returning to a position he knows well. The Transitional Military Council (CMT) formalized on Monday, April 26, in a decree, his appointment as head of the Prime Minister’s Office. From 2016 to 2018, the President of the party dubbed ‘Rassemblement National pour la Democratie au Tchad – Le Reveil’ (RNDT-Le Reveil) was the last Prime Minister of late President Deby before the post was scrapped.
In the presidential election of April 11, Albert Pahimi Padacke came second in the provisional results with 10.32 percent of the vote, behind his ex-mentor Deby, who scored 79.32 percent of the vote. The latter had managed to secure a sixth term, hours before the announcement of his death on national television. He succumbed to wounds suffered on the warfront while trying to repel a rebellion led by the ‘Front pour l’alternance et la concorde au Chad (FACT) with the army.
Also read: Chad adopts a Transition Charter
A military junta, known as the Transitional Military Council (CMT), has since held power and promised to hold “free and democratic elections” within 18 months.
The CMT is headed by Mahamat Idriss Deby, the son of the late Marshal of Chad. The 37-year-old is a four-star general and previously commanded the Republican Guard. Under his leadership, Albert Pahimi Padacke will have to form a new government in the days to come.
ODL/cgd/fss/abj/APA