Chad’s ruling military council on Monday named Albert Pahimi Padacke as the country’s interim prime minister, reported Africa News.
The former Prime Minister Padacke was the runner-up in the April 11 presidential election. He secured 10.3 percent of the vote. He was also a candidate in the 2006 and 2011 presidential vote.
The appointment comes one week after President Idriss Deby was killed as he visited troops fighting rebels in the north. He suffered wounds while leading soldiers on the front line against the rebel Libya-based Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) group advancing from the north towards Ndjamena.
Deby was declared the winner of the presidential election a day before he was killed. The 68-year-old had led the former French colony with an iron fist for three decades, winning six successive elections. His sudden demise prompted the establishment of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to take power last week. The council is headed by his son Mahamat Idriss Deby. The country’s parliament has since been dissolved.
The military council has said it will manage the 18-month transition to elections under Padacke, whose transitional government members will be nominated or revoked by the new military leader.
Chad’s opposition parties have called the military takeover an “institutional coup.” One of the politicians denounced Padacke’s nomination, saying the army had no right to install the head of government.
“It is not up to the transitional military council to designate a prime minister in this isolated manner,” said Yacine Abderamane, president of the opposition Reformist Party.
He added there should be talks between political parties, civil society and other actors in order to reach a consensus.
Chad’s ruling military council has come under international pressure to give back power as soon as possible. The African Union has expressed “grave concern” about the military takeover, while France and other regional powers are calling out for a civilian-military solution.
