Government reacts to call for postponement

Chad’s government on Friday rejected an opposition call for the postponement of presidential elections, saying that the polls will be held as scheduled on 20 May. On Thursday, the opposition had described the polls as an “electoral masquerade” and urged their postponement. National Assembly Speaker Wadal Kamougoue and the minister of agriculture, Salek Kebzabo, were among those who led the call. The opposition’s main grouse, media organisations report, is that voter registration has been rigged in favour of the ruling Mouvement patriotique du salut, which denies the allegation. The opposition asked the international community to suspend financial aid until all voters were properly registered. France had promised 170 millions francs CFA (about US $245,000) for printing the ballots. Kebzabo’s party wanted the polls postponed until the fighting has ended in the northern region of Tibesti where rebels of the Mouvement pour la democratie et la justice au Tchad have been battling government troops since 1998. Some 4.2 Chadians have registered for the election.