As Chad gears up for local and parliamentary elections on Sunday, candidates are wrapping up their final rallies in the capital, Ndjamena.
Residents, particularly young people, are expressing frustration over poor representation and calling for leadership that will address the city’s pressing needs.
“There are a lot of things to be done. The city needs a lot of things for its urbanization,” said Tadjo Djabongodi, a resident of Ndjamena. 
However, disillusionment with the political process is evident among many voters, following the outcome of May’s presidential election.
“We don’t have a real candidate who’s going to win, so I am not expecting anything. It won’t be any different from the elections that have already taken place,” remarked Samadar Abdou, another resident.
The ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party is making an aggressive push to consolidate its power. Leaders have stated their intention to secure all parliamentary and local seats to strengthen President Mahamat Idriss Déby’s mandate.
Meanwhile, opposition groups remain deeply fractured. The runner-up in the presidential race, former Prime Minister Succes Masra, and his party are boycotting the elections. This fragmentation has left the opposition with limited capacity to pose a significant challenge to the ruling party.
Sunday’s vote comes just seven months after the controversial presidential election that extended the Déby family’s decades-long rule over the Central African nation, a major oil producer.
As voters prepare to cast their ballots, questions linger over whether this election will bring meaningful change or simply reinforce the political status quo.
