Analysts say uncertainty lies ahead in Chad where tensions remain high after the nation's elections.
Residents of the capital, N'djamena, say that since Wednesday night, there has been a massive deployment of troops on streets and in neighborhoods which are considered to be opposition strongholds.
Abdoul Koulemann, a 24 year old student at the University of N'djamena told VOA that business has been at a standstill in the capital since Chad's constitutional council announced on Wednesday night that results of the May 6 presidential elections would be proclaimed on Thursday.
The presence of heavily armed troops deployed by Chad's military government all over N'djamena scares civilians, Koulemann said, adding, streets are empty because civilians have decided to remain in their houses as tension is perceived in the city.
Last week, Chad’s Elections Management Body, ANGE, announced that Mahamat Deby had won the May 6 election with 61 percent of votes.
On Monday, several opposition candidates filed petitions with the constitutional council challenging the official results. They allege massive electoral fraud, including the stuffing of ballot boxes and soldiers chasing members of their parties from polling stations.
Prime Minister Succes Masra, who finished second with 18 percent, says voters were intimidated and arrested, allegations denied by Deby.
Deby earlier this week said he is now the president of all Chadians, including candidates who did not win the May 6 polls.
The former transitional president and military general also said he is now concentrating in respecting his electoral promises, especially bringing peace back to the nation.
Opposition leaders and civil society groups have expressed surprise over the council saying it was ready to finalize the election results without ruling on their petitions.
Electoral laws give the council until May 21 to rule on the petitions, according to the opposition.
The council has already said that election-day incidents like fighting and the late arrival of ballot boxes to polling stations were not enough to influence the outcome of the vote.
Beral Mbaikoubou , the spokesperson for Chad's opposition Movement of Chad Patriots for the Republic, MPTR, told VOA that it is now evident that the Central African nation may descend into violence and chaos after the constitutional council proclaims the definitive results.
Mbaikoubou alleges that Deby rigged elections by falsifying results sheets and intimidating civilians with his military.
The results declared by ANGE and to be confirmed by Chad's constitutional council were prepared by Deby, who wants to confiscate power, the opposition spokesperson said.
Mbaikoubou called on Chadians to stay at home to avoid confrontations with the military, which he says was deployed by Deby to crack down on people protesting election results.
Lydie Beassemda, the only female who contested the polls on Thursday spoke to Chadian state TV. She said that by confiscating power, Deby is failing to show love for the country.
Chad is becoming a Deby dynasty, Beassemda said.
The Integral Democracy and Independence party led by Beassemda wants military leaders to note that Deby is not Chad's democratically elected president and civilians have so far decided not to violently protest the stolen victory because they want peace in the volatile nation, the opposition leader said.
Angry Chadians may react violently if government troops continue to provoke civilians whose victory is stolen, Beassemda said.
Central Africa's regional body, the Economic Community of Central African states, CEEAC has called on aggrieved Chadians to avoid chaos by peacefully protesting the outcome if they feel cheated.
Deby took power in April 2021 as leader of a transitional government after his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had ruled Chad for more than three decades, died fighting northern rebels.
The elections were designed to end the three years of transition to civilian rule.
Chadian opposition leaders and civil society groups say under the Deby's leadership , the nation was marked by political tensions, quoting an example of October 2022 where state security forces killed at least 50 people, injured 300 and arrested several hundred others during a pro-democracy protest.
