Chad interim president Deby and PM cleared for presidential election

FILE PHOTO: Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia January 24, 2024. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad's Constitutional Council on Sunday cleared 10 candidates for this year's long-awaited presidential election, including interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby and the country's recently-appointed prime minister.

The central African nation is scheduled to hold the first round of a presidential election in May as part of a transition back to democracy from junta rule.