Opposition politicians in Chad have rejected the army’s appointment of President Idriss Déby’s son, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, to take over in the wake of his death.
Déby, 68, died on Tuesday after 30 years in power, after being shot during battle with rebels on Saturday, after winning the country’s presidential election.
Shortly after Deby’s death the military took over, dissolved the government and parliament, imposed curfew and closed all the borders.
It subsequently appointed Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, 37, a four-star General, to take over the leadership for 18 months before election.
Analysts believed that development could throw the country, with a long history of rebellion and coup, into political instability. They opined that transferring power to Deby’s son was unconstitutional, as according to the Chad’s constitution the speaker of parliament should take over when a sitting president dies before organising elections.
“We must follow the constitution, invite the African Union and the UN to help solve our problems,” main opposition figure Saleh Kebzabo, whose UNDR party boycotted the recent election, told the BBC.
After Mahamat took over the mantle of leadership, the rebels also objected saying “Chad is not a monarchy.”
Shortly after he took over as the leader of the military council, Mahamat, a former commander of the Chad Presidential Bodyguard, signed a decree setting out a military council with 15 generals, including himself and 14 others known to have been part of his late father’s circle of loyalists.