Chad

In 1960, Chad gained full independence from France. In December 1990, after Chad had endured three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by Libya, former northern guerrilla leader Idriss DEBY seized control of the government. His transitional government eventually suppressed or came to terms with most political-military groups, settled the territorial dispute with Libya on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution which was ratified by popular referendum in 1996, held multiparty national presidential elections in 1996 (DEBY won with 69% of the vote), and held multiparty elections for the National Assembly in 1997 (DEBY's Patriotic Salvation Movement won a majority of the seats). But by the end of 1998, DEBY was beset with numerous problems including heavy casualties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Chadian troops had been deployed to support embattled President KABILA, a new rebellion in northern Chad, and further delays in the Doba Basin oil project in the south.

• hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north;
• periodic droughts;
• locust plagues

• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution;
• desertification

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

0-14 years:

44% (male 1,675,394; female 1,667,717)

15-64 years:

53% (male 1,953,251; female 2,034,883)

65 years and over:

3% (male 99,783; female 126,408) (1999 est.)

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.79 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

noun:

Chadian(s)

adjective:

Chadian

conventional long form:

Republic of Chad

conventional short form:

Chad

local long form:

Republique du Tchad

local short form:

Tchad

• 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular--prefecture);
• Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile

chief of state:

President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December 1990)

head of government:

Prime Minister Nassour Guelengdouksia OUAIDOU (since 16 May 1997)

cabinet:

Council of State appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections:

• president elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms;
• if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second round of voting;
• last held 2 June and 11 July 1996 (next to be held NA 2001);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

in the first round of voting none of the 15 candidates received the required 50% of the total vote; percent of vote, first round--Lt. Gen. Idress DEBY 47.8%; percent of vote, second round--Lt. Gen. DEBY 69.1%, Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE 30.9%

• unicameral National Assembly (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms);
• replaces the Higher Transitional Council or the Conseil Superieur de Transition

elections:

• National Assembly--last held in two rounds on 5 January and 23 February 1997, (next to be held NA 2001);
• in the first round of voting some candidates won clear victories by receiving 50% or more of the vote;
• where that did not happen, the two highest scoring candidates stood for a second round of voting

election results:

percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--MPS 65, URD 29, UNDR 15, RDP 3, others 13

• Supreme Court;
• Court of Appeal;
• Criminal Courts;
• Magistrate Courts

• Patriotic Salvation Movement or the party in power and the party of the president);
• National Union mid-1996 Chad had about 60 political parties, of which these are the most prominent in the new National Assembly

chief of mission:

Ambassador Hassaballah Abdelhadi Ahmat SOUBIANE

chancery:

2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission:

Ambassador David C. HALSTED

embassy:

Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena

mailing address:

B. P. 413, N'Djamena

• three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red;
• similar to the flag of Romania;
• also similar to the flag of Andorra, which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band;
• design was based on the flag of France

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• $238.3 million (1995);
• note?$125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997);
• $30 million committed by African Development Bank

total:

33,400 km

paved:

267 km

unpaved:

33,133 km (1996 est.)