Chad’s new Prime Minister Allamaye Halina unveiled the first government since the end of three years of military rule, signaling a significant shift in the desert nation.
The announcement on Monday came after President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who previously led the junta, was sworn in following a contentious election.
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Key allies of President Deby retained their positions in the 35-member cabinet, as detailed in a decree read on public television.
The new government includes 23 ministers who served in the previous administration.
Halina’s appointment as Prime Minister followed the resignation of his predecessor, Succes Masra, who stepped down last Wednesday after losing in the presidential election.
Masra, an economist, had held the office for only four months, and none of the ministers from his Transformers party were included in the new cabinet.
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President Deby secured 61 percent of the vote in the May 6 election, which international NGOs criticized for lacking credibility and fairness. Deby’s main rival dismissed the election as a “masquerade.”
Ahead of his inauguration, Deby declared a “return to constitutional order” and promised to be a president for all Chadians.
This follows his rise to power in April 2021, when he was named transitional president by a junta of 15 generals after the death of his father, President Idriss Deby Itno, who was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries, plays a crucial role in combating the spread of jihadist movements across the Sahel region.
