The Chad government reported that numerous individuals were killed in an assault on the National Security Agency headquarters in Chad. “The government said everything is now okay and they have everything under control. ”
The Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) members were taken into custody and will face legal action.
The attack in the capital city, N’Djamena, happened just a few hours after the announcement that Chad will have a presidential election on May 6th.
The government said that anyone who tries to disrupt the democratic process in the country will be punished.
The Communication Minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, said that the leader of the PSF, Yaya Dillo, was behind the attack on the national security agency. He has not said anything yet.
It’s not sure if Mr. Dillo was arrested, but he posted on Facebook that the military came for him on Wednesday morning. The government also said the PSF was part of a recent “attempt to kill” the president of the Supreme Court.
Mr Dillo said he wasn’t involved in the attack and called it a setup, according to AFP.
Mr Dillo doesn’t like President Mahamat Déby. Déby became president in 2021 after his father was killed by rebels. President Déby said he would make the country run by regular people again, but he took more than two years to do it.
The election is meant to signal the completion of a change in political leadership.
The Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) has chosen President Déby as their candidate for the next elections, but he hasn’t said if he will run yet.
Since the transition began, France, which used to have colonies in the area, has been supporting Mr. This has surprised and concerned people both inside and outside the country. France has around 1,000 soldiers in Chad to fight against extremist groups in West Africa.
The opposition believes the electoral commission is not fair, and they are worried that the Déby family will continue to stay in power for a long time.
Tag: opposition
-
Chad attributes deadly attack on security agency to opposition
-
Junta leader from Gabon meets with the opposition
Gabon’s military leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, has engaged in discussions with the opposition candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa, as part of consultations aimed at rebuilding the nation.
Mr. Ossa was the primary contender against the deposed President Ali Bongo in the election, which was invalidated following the military’s seizure of power last week.
It appears that the military authorities are seeking to garner support from the opposition in order to chart a new course for Gabon.
Mr. Ossa chose not to attend the inauguration ceremony of General Nguema that took place on Monday, asserting that he had emerged victorious in the annulled elections and should have been sworn in as president.
The meeting between these two figures suggests that the opposition may play a role in the interim government. While Mr. Ossa did not provide specific details, he indicated that the discussions centered on the transition and the restoration of governmental institutions.
The coup that occurred last Wednesday seems to have garnered some level of popular support, but there remains uncertainty about the nation’s future. General Nguema has not yet announced a timeline for the return to civilian rule.
In the meantime, the junta has released several detainees, including Jean Rémi Yama, a pro-democracy activist and leader of the most influential trade union confederation.
-
Zimbabwean police detain 40 opposition members ahead of elections
Zimbabwean authorities have reported the apprehension of 40 members affiliated with the primary opposition party on grounds of obstructing traffic and inciting disorder during a campaign event on Tuesday. This occurrence transpired just a week before the national elections are scheduled to take place.
In anticipation of the forthcoming elections, slated for August 23, tensions are mounting within this southern African nation. Analysts foresee a tense atmosphere due to an increased crackdown on dissent and apprehensions about potential vote manipulation.
During the campaign event held on Tuesday in a southwestern suburb of the capital city Harare, the opposition party Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) encountered interference from law enforcement, leading to the disruption of their supporters, as reported by party spokeswoman Fadzayi Mahere.
The police have officially confirmed that they took into custody 40 activists associated with the CCC. The authorities assert that the party initially communicated its intention to conduct a rally but subsequently deviated from the prearranged location.
The group “went on a car rally procession” in a nearby area, and stopped at a traffic light “openly blocking traffic”, police said, adding that CCC supporters “started chanting party slogans and singing”.
Social media users posted video of a packed junction of people wearing the yellow uniforms of the CCC, some of them were crammed within the bed of a small truck.
The opposition has long alleged that it was unfairly singled out for attention by the government in the run-up to the election, with its members being detained and numerous CCC activities being halted.
A report by Human Rights Watch this month said the upcoming ballot will be held under a “seriously flawed electoral process” that does not meet global standards for freedom and fairness.
It accused police of “partisan conduct” and of using “intimidation and violence against the opposition”.
In the presidential election next week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, of the ZANU-PF, who has led the country since its independence in 1980, is running for re-election.
Nelson Chamisa, a preacher and CCC leader who is 45 years old, is his biggest rival.
-
Zimbabwe arrests two in connection with death of opposition supporter
Two individuals have been arrested by the police in Zimbabwe following the death of an opposition supporter during political clashes at a campaign rally south of the capital, Harare, on Thursday.
A video circulating on social media showed members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) fleeing the scene in vehicles while being pursued by a group of people throwing stones.
Local human rights monitors have reported an increase in violence and rights violations as the country prepares for general elections later this month.
The police are currently conducting investigations into the incident that resulted in the death of Tinashe Chitsunge.
Though official details are limited, eyewitnesses from CCC claim that they were heading to a pre-booked venue for a rally in Glen Norah. They allege that supporters of the ruling Zanu-PF party, who had gathered at the rally grounds, chased them away, tore up their campaign posters, and pelted them with stones.
They assert that Mr. Chitsunge was struck and fell to the ground, possibly being run over by a vehicle affiliated with CCC as it was fleeing the violence.
-
2 deaths reported in Senegal’s opposition protests
The interior ministry of Senegal has reported that two individuals lost their lives in Ziguinchor during protests opposing the detention of the prominent opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko.
Although the ministry did not disclose the identities of the deceased, it called for calm and assured that measures were being implemented to uphold stability in the nation.
In a prior move, the government dissolved Mr. Sonko’s party, alleging that it had incited its supporters towards an insurrection.
On Monday, Mr. Sonko made an appearance in court and was ordered to remain in custody. He faces charges of plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy, and other related offenses.
The opposition leader vehemently refutes these charges, asserting that they are driven by political motives.
-
Reporter in Tunisia in police grips for insulting president
A well-known Tunisian journalist has been detained for allegedly insulting President Kais Said.
A judge ordered the detention of Zied el-Heni ahead of a trial in which he could be sentenced to five years in prison.
Tunisian activists have expressed concern over his health as he reportedly suffered a stroke some time ago.
In recent months, Tunisian judges have detained or opened investigations into more than 20 political, judicial, media and business figures associated with opposition to President Said.
The main opposition parties have condemned the arrests as politically motivated.
-
Prominent Algerian opposition figure arrested again
A leader and political opponent, Karim Tabbou, of the pro-democracy Hirak movement, was detained at his house on Tuesday evening and taken into police prison, according to his family and many local media outlets.
Tabbou was one of the most-recognisable faces during unprecedented mass rallies, led by the Hirak pro-democracy movement, that began in February 2019.
The supporters demanded a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system in place since the North African country gained independence from France in 1962.
Mr. Tabbou had been convicted in March 2020 and served a one-year prison sentence for “undermining national security“, due to a video on his party’s Facebook account where he criticised the army’s interference in political affairs.
Last year Karim Tabbou was released after spending one year in prison in the wake of posting critical comments in social media in 2020 about the implication of the army in national politics.
According to the CNLD (National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees), dozens of people linked to the Hirak or the defence of individual freedoms are still imprisoned in Algeria.
-
Opposition in South Africa request probe into ministers’ luxury homes
The biggest opposition party in South Africa says it has requested an investigation into what it claims are overpriced contracts for maintaining ministers’ opulent houses.
This comes after the ANC government revealed that between 2019 and 2022 it had spent nearly $5m (£4m) maintaining dozens of properties occupied by public servants.
The controversy adds pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was elected on promises to root out corruption after his predecessor Jacob Zuma’s term was marred by political and financial scandals.
Adding South African spice to an old joke, the opposition Democratic Alliance says “at least we finally can answer the question of how much money it takes for ANC cadres to replace a lightbulb”.
Alleging brazen corruption, it says the bill for bulbs was almost a $1,000 at one ministerial mansion in Pretoria.
Then there was the $70,000 kitchen renovation and $2.5m spent on generators in ministers’ homes – while most have been struggling with South Africa‘s worst power cuts.
It is already the most unequal country in the world. Corruption may be making the chasm between the “haves” and the “have nots” even wider.
-
Erdogan’s defeat in Turkey’s election is a dream of opposition
Erdogan, the all-powerful president of Turkey, is engaged in the battle of his life with a unified opposition ahead of elections on Sunday.
His main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu appeared before a throng of supporters on Friday, flanked by allies from across the political spectrum who have come together as never before.
As the rain beat down in Ankara, he vowed to restore “peace and democracy”.
The man he wants voters to oust after 20 years – Recep Tayyip Erdogan – said he had kept Turkey standing tall despite many challenges, including the economy with its rampant inflation and February’s catastrophic double earthquakes.
Both issues have dominated this febrile campaign for both the presidency and parliament.
At 74, the opposition leader is often described as soft-spoken, but he gave a powerful speech to an audience that believes this is their best hope so far of reclaiming power from a president who has dramatically increased his own at the expense of parliament.
Image caption,Kemal Kilicdaroglu told supporters in the pouring rain he was ready to become president Mr Kilicdaroglu is slightly ahead in the opinion polls and his supporters have dared to dream he might win outright on Sunday, with more than 50% of the vote, rather than face a run-off two weeks later.
Firat, one of five million first-time voters, said he was delighted at conservatives and nationalists appearing on the same platform as the head of the centre-left Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Here was nationalist Meral Aksener, the only female leader in the six-strong alliance, and there was Temel Karamollaoglu, who fronts the pro-Islamist Felicity party.
Mr Kilicdaroglu’s party is secular to the core, but he has worked hard to reach out to women who wear the headscarf. The six parties have rallied under the slogan Haydi (Come on!) and a campaign song of the same name.
Image caption,Firat (R), with his sister and mother at the opposition rally, praised the opposition’s unity Tensions are running so high ahead of the vote that he wore a bullet-proof vest on stage in Ankara for his final rally and at another event earlier on.
The race has become as tense as it is pivotal. One of the four candidates for the presidency, Muharrem Ince, pulled out on Thursday, complaining that he had been targeted on social media with deepfake sex videos that had “manipulated the electorate”.
When the main opposition challenger blamed Russia, the Kremlin denied having anything to do with the videos or seeking to interfere in the vote.
Mr Erdogan, who has maintained ties with Vladimir Putin, warned his rival: “If you attack Putin, I will not be ok with that.”
The president was addressing party loyalists in Istanbul, but the night before he was just outside the capital in a city of half a million people that seemed in full support of his AK Party.
Orange, blue and white party AKP flags fluttered throughout the centre of Sincan, as locals filled the streets in the hope of catching a glimpse of Mr Erdogan.
Image caption,Streets around the Erdogan rally in Sincan were filled with supporters Supporters chanted party songs as they waited for the president to show on stage in a green jacket. One chorus rang out repeatedly Re-cep Tay-yip Er-do-gaaaan.
“We built schools, universities and hospitals… we changed the face of our cities. We extracted our own natural gas and oil,” Erdogan told thousands of cheering supporters.
His strategy, first as prime minister but then as president, has been to build growth, often through big-ticket construction projects that are visible in many of the big cities, but not so obvious in Sincan.
Image caption,President Erdogan was greeted by a mass of adoring supporters in Sincan Although his party still commands strong support, he relies on the backing of the nationalist MHP and other smaller groups in his People’s Alliance.
His greatest support comes mainly from conservative or nationalist Turks, and he has aimed his rhetoric not just at the West, which he accuses of going against him, but at the LGBT community too.
“The AK Party does not allow LGBT people into its neighbourhood, and the MHP does not allow them into the People’s Alliance, because we believe in the sanctity of a family.”
These political alliances have become essential under Turkey’s political system as a party needs 7% of the national vote to get into parliament, or be part of an alliance that does.
Whoever wins the presidency will need to have sufficient support in parliament to back their plans.
On the campaign trail in Ankara, centre-left candidate Aysun Palali Koktas said that while the economy and the aftermath of the earthquake were the top two issues of the election, the future of Turkey’s democracy and people’s rights were just as important.
“When we tweet, we don’t want to be frightened, and that’s the case especially for young people,” she said.
But, AK Party candidate Zehranur Aydemir, 25, believes young voters are very well treated by the government. “You can see young people at every level in our party.”
More than 64 million people are expected vote at home and abroad on Sunday.
To win outright a candidate will have to secure more than half the vote.
If no candidate gets at least 50% plus one vote in the first round, the presidential election will go to a second round on 28 May between the two who received the most votes.
-
South Africa re-elects Steenhuisen as main opposition leader
In an effort to remove the African National Party (ANC) as the country’s ruling party in the national elections to be held next year 2024, the Democratic Alliance, which is the the largest opposition party in South Africa, re-elected John Steenhuisen as its head on Sunday April 1 2023.
In order to defeat his opponent, former Johannesburg executive mayor Mpho Phalatse, who received only 17% of the vote, Mr. Steenhuisen received 83% of the vote.
He will lead the party for the next three years.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Steenhuisen said the DA will work with other “like-minded parties” ahead of the 2024 elections.
He, however, ruled out working with the ruling ANC and the smaller opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the upcoming elections.
Mr Steenhuisen took over the reins of the party in November 2019 following the resignation of then DA leader, Mmusi Maimane.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will be seeking re-election under the ANC – whose popularity has declined in recent years.
-
Kenya’s Opposition leader Raila Odinga alleges threat on his life
The leader of the Kenyan opposition, Raila Odinga, has alleged a deadly threat on his life on Friday March 31 2023, during the anti-government protests in Nairobi.
Odinga claimed that as he was travelling around the city, organizing protests, his car was shot at several times.
He displayed to reporters bullet-related dents on his armored truck.
“There is no mistaking, for that the intention was basically to kill,” Odinga said. The politician accused the government of being behind the incident.
“I don’t think any police officer could aim to come to shoot and assassinate politicians without being commanded from the very top,” Odinga said.
Two escort cars also had their rear windscreens shattered. Inside the vehicles, the strong smell of tear gas was still present. Odinga said he had instructed his lawyers to proceed to court over the incident.
The 78-year-old long-time candidate for president is one of the leading figures behind anti-government demonstrations. He insisted the protests will only stop after the government lowers the cost of basic food items and allows access to the 2022 election results from the electoral commission’s main computers.
The opposition is blaming President William Ruto for the rising cost of living and alleges he illegally manipulated his election in last year’s polls, although the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the election results.
President Ruto, who on Thursday arrived back in the country from a four-day trip in Belgium and Germany, has remained adamant that the ongoing protests are illegal.
Police have been using force to disperse protesters and so far four people are reported to have died since the protests started last week. The protests have sparked counter violence against opposition targets.
The independent Policing Oversight Authority is investigating four incidents of police shooting and killing protesters as well allegations that police failed to respond to a report on the damaging of private property. The authority has urged police to abide by the law while protecting life and property.
Civil society groups that include Amnesty Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission have expressed concerns over the abuse of human rights by the police during the protests and urged police to uphold their service to humanity.
-
Former NDC MP explains why party members compromise on party loyalty for bribes
Former National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Techiman South, Adjei Mensah has indicated that some MPs will continue to be lured into taking bribes as much as long as inequality exists in the House.
He asserts that because of the financial hardships certain MPs, particularly those who are in the minority or who are members of the opposition party, are experiencing, they would continue to exchange their votes for favors.
“We have to situate the issue in its right context. With the way we conduct our politics in this country, such issues will continue for as long as we don’t change things. When you are demanding something from God and you don’t get it, if the devil offers it you, you have to take it.
“Parliament is not a church; we do not go to parliament to worship God. We go to fight for power. The Akans have a saying that when things become critical in your quest for power, sell your mother to acquire the power and when you get the power, use it to get your mother back… Money is now an underlying factor in our politics,” he stated on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen.
The former MP was commenting on the voting conducted in parliament on Friday, March 24, 2023, when some members of the minority caucus defied a directive by their party and voted for the approval of some six ministers nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The incident has led to allegations of inducement and bribery being made against the MPs who voted in violation of the directive by the opposition party during the secret balloting.
But according to the former NDC MP, members of the minority caucus who are impoverished and are victims of inequality cannot feed on loyalty to their party.
“There is someone who knows that the majority will by all means pay something to them ahead of their primaries and such a person knows very well that he will be saying goodbye to parliament if he refuses to accept such an offer.
“So, if by the grace of God, something is being offered to you, you are claiming party loyalty or whatever. We don’t eat that loyalty. If because of loyalty you won’t accept it that is your choice. But you are going to come home to live that kind of miserable life that former MPs live,” he stated.
Asked by the host if members of the House do not work with principles, the former Techiman South MP retorted saying “Massa, if you can eat principles, go and eat it.”
-
Opposition in South Africa pledges to ‘protect’ Putin against ICC arrest
Despite an arrest warrant being issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a small opposition party in South Africa, has announced Putin is welcome to visit Pretoria.
South Africa is a signatory to the ICC, which has charged Mr. Putin with war crimes, including the kidnapping of Ukrainian children as part of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Putin is scheduled to travel to South Africa for the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in August.
EFF leader Julius Malema on Thursday said no-one was going to arrest Mr Putin while in South Africa, a country where Russia “played a huge role to support the struggle for freedom”.
Mr Malema said that the South African government should not give in to pressure from the ICC, which he accused of “hypocrisy”.
“Putin is welcomed here. No one is going to arrest Putin. If need be, we will go and fetch Putin from the airport to his meetings. He will address, finish all his meetings, and we will take him back to the airport,” Mr Malema said.
“We know our friends. We know the people who liberated us. We know the people who supported us,” he added.
South Africa has close diplomatic relations with Moscow in spite of Western condemnations. Last month, its navy held joint exercises with Russian forces off the coast of South Africa. It has also abstained during UN votes condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In 2015, the South African government was criticised for letting then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir leave the country despite an ICC arrest warrant.
-
President of Tanzania attends an opposition gathering
For the first time in Tanzania’s history, the president has attended an International Women’s Day event organized by the main opposition party, Chadema.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s presence was welcomed by Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe, who said it was the fruit of meetings aimed at achieving reconciliation.
Ms Samia, who addressed thousands in the meeting, said that reconciliation was ongoing in Tanzanian politics, and that some steps had already been taken meanwhile others were in progress, including the finding of a new constitution.
In her address, President Samia added it had been difficult to start the reconciliation process as some in her ruling party “were not ready”.
“There was a lot of debates here and there, and the same appeared to the country’s opposition. So both parties have some of its people who are not happy with the step of political reconciliation,” Ms Samia added.
She is Tanzania’s first female president, having taken office following the death of John Magufuli in 2021.
Mr Magufuli was accused by the opposition of being authoritarian, and cracking down on its leaders and members.
-
Benin polls: Opposition wins seats in parliament, first time in 4 years
Preliminary results indicate that Benin’s opposition has returned to parliament after a four-year absence, winning 28 seats in elections dominated by President Patrice Talon’s allies.
The election on Sunday was a litmus test for the West African state where Talon has promoted development, but critics say his policies have come at the expense of Benin’s once-thriving multiparty democracy.
According to the CENA electoral authority, the main opposition party, the Les Democrates won 28 seats, while the Republican Bloc (BR) and Progressive Union for Renewal (UP-R) parties allied with Talon won 81 seats.
None of the remaining four parties competing for the 109 seats received enough votes to meet the 10% parliamentary representation threshold.
Final results are expected on Friday after a vote that went ahead peacefully and in line with the regulations, according to election observers from the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS.
Voter turnout in the polls was a low 38.66 percent, the electoral commission said, despite analysts predicting it would be higher as more parties were involved.
Four years ago, opposition parties were effectively barred from participating in a legislative ballot due to a tightening of election rules, resulting in a parliament dominated by Talon supporters.
Most of Talon’s key opponents have also been jailed or forced into exile after the cotton magnate was elected in 2016 and later re-elected in 2021.
The 2019 legislative vote was marred by deadly clashes in an opposition stronghold, historic low turnout and an internet blackout.
On Sunday, seven parties – including three allied to the opposition – were allowed to participate.
Opposition leaders had hoped their parties would gain seats in preparation for the 2026 presidential election, when candidates will need the backing of lawmakers to be registered.
The mandate of the Constitutional Court also ends this year and, three years before the presidential ballot, the court’s composition is key as it oversees decisions on elections.
Four judges are appointed by lawmakers while three are chosen by the president.
Les Democrates, linked to Talon’s predecessor and rival Thomas Boni Yayi, also said it would seek to push an amnesty law in parliament to free jailed colleagues and allow the return of exiles.
In December 2021, Reckya Madougou was sentenced to 20 years in prison on a charge of “terrorism”, while Joel Aivo – another opposition leader and academic – was jailed for 10 years for alleged conspiracy against the authority of the state.
Both were tried by a special court dealing with “terrorism” and economic crimes, known as the CRIET. Critics say the court, opened by Talon’s government in 2016, has been used to crackdown on his opponents.
Sunday’s legislative vote took place as Benin and other Gulf of Guinea coastal countries, Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast, face a growing threat from violence spilling over their northern borders with the Sahel.
Source: Aljazeera.com