General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has been inaugurated as first president of the 5th Republic of Chad. The presidential term lasts for five years and may be extended once.
According to Chad's electoral commission, he received 61.3% of the vote, which took place on May 6. Taking the oath of office, Deby said he swore "before the Chadian people... to fulfil the high functions that the nation has entrusted in us."
The ceremony, which was held at the Palace of Arts and Culture in the country's capital N'Djamena, was attended by eight African leaders, Chadian Constitutional Council members and hundreds of guests, according to media reports.
Earlier, Deby announced a "return to constitutional order" and promised to be "the president of Chadians from all backgrounds and of all sensibilities."
Deby was elected president of Chad after governing the country for three years since the death of Chad's ex-President Idriss Déby Itno in 2021 from wounds, which he received fighting the rebels in the north of the country. At first, Mahamat Idriss Deby was the head of a transitional military council, and a year later the council appointed him as interim president.