Chad: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Chad conventional short form: Chad local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad local short form: Tchad/Tshad etymology: named for Lake Chad, which lies along the country's western border; the word "tsade" means "large body of water" or "lake" in several local native languages |
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| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | N'Djamena
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geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 23 regions (regions, singular - region); Barh el Gazel, Batha, Borkou, Chari-Baguirmi, Ennedi-Est, Ennedi-Ouest, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Est, Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile, Tibesti, Ville de N'Djamena, Wadi Fira |
| Independence | 11 August 1960 (from France) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 11 August (1960) |
| Constitution | several previous; latest passed by referendum 31 March 1996, entered into force 8 April 1996; amended 2005 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of civil and customary law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Chad dual citizenship recognized: Chadian law does not address dual citizenship residency requirement for naturalization: 15 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Idriss DEBY Itno, Lt. Gen. (since 4 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Albert Pahimi PADACKE (since 15 February 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers; members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 10 April 2016 (next to be held in April 2021); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (MPS) 61.6%, Saleh KEBZABO (UNDR) 12.8%, Laokein Kourayo MEDAR 10.7%, Djimrangar DADNADJI (MPS) 5.1%, other 9.8% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly (188 seats; 118 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 70 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 4-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held on 13 February and 6 May 2011 (next to be held on 30 September 2015) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 117, UNDR 10, RDP 9, URD 8, RNDT/Le Reveil 8, Viva-RNDP 5, FAR 4, PUR 2, UDR 2, PDSA 2, CTPD 2, other minor parties 19 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, 3 chamber presidents, and 12 judges or councilors and divided into 3 chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 3 judges and 6 jurists) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice selected by the president; councilors - 8 designated by the president and 7 by the speaker of the National Assembly; chief justice and councilors appointed for life; Constitutional Council judges - 2 appointed by the president and 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly; jurists - 3 each by the president and by the speaker of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms subordinate courts: High Court of Justice; Courts of Appeal; tribunals; justices of the peace |
| Political parties and leaders | Alliance for the Renaissance of Chad or ART (includes MPS, RDP, and Viva-RNDP) Federation Action for the Republic or FAR (Ngarledjy YORONGAR) National Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDP (Dr. Nouradine Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE) National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR (Saleh KEBZABO) Party for Liberty and Development or PLD (Jean-Baptiste LAOKOLE) Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS (Idriss DEBY) Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP (Lol Mahamat CHOUA) Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD (Sande NGARYIMBE) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Nasser HASSANE (since 21 May 2014) chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 652-1312 FAX: (1) (202) 758-0431 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Geeta PASI (since September 2016) embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: (235) 2251-70-09 FAX: (235) 2251-56-54 |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the flag combines the blue and red French (former colonial) colors with the red and yellow of the Pan-African colors; blue symbolizes the sky, hope, and the south of the country, which is relatively well-watered; yellow represents the sun, as well as the desert in the north of the country; red stands for progress, unity, and sacrifice note: similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France |
| National symbol(s) | goat (north), lion (south); national colors: blue, yellow, red |
| National anthem | name: "La Tchadienne" (The Chadian) lyrics/music: Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD note: adopted 1960 |