Chad’s National Assembly has announced plans to amend the country’s 2023 Constitution, less than two years after its adoption, amid a heated debate over the powers and roles of the presidency. Opening the Assembly’s second ordinary session, President Ali Kolotou Tchaïmi said Article 77 which prohibits the president from holding any other elected office, public employment, professional activity, or party leadership role— has created “serious interpretation challenges” and triggered legal inconsistencies.
The controversy escalated in August when President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno was appointed leader of the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS). Critics quickly branded the move unconstitutional, pointing to Article 77’s restrictions. The dispute has since drawn in Chad’s Constitutional Council, Supreme Court, members of parliament, civil society groups, and more than 100 political parties, all urging lawmakers to revise the article to avoid further paralysis in governance.
If adopted, this would mark the first revision of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, which was promulgated in December 2023 after a contentious transition process that followed President Déby’s rise to power in 2021. Supporters of the amendment argue it will provide clarity on presidential functions, strengthen political stability, and resolve contradictions that have hindered the smooth running of state institutions. Critics, however, fear it could further entrench Déby’s influence, blurring the separation between the presidency and party politics.
