Chad names runner-up in presidential election as prime minister

Chad’s new ruling military council has named as interim prime minister the runner-up in this month’s presidential election.

The appointment of Albert Pahimi Padacké follows last week’s battlefield death of President Idriss Déby.

Padacké served as prime minister under Déby until the post was abolished in 2018.

An opposition leader, Yacine Abderamane, has refused to accept Padacké’s nomination saying the transitional military council has no right to make such an appointment.

Déby was killed the day after he won the presidential election as he was fighting rebels who swept into Chad from their bases in Libya.