Interim President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno has won the presidential election in Chad, according to preliminary figures released by the Central African country's electoral authority on Thursday evening.
The general received 61% of the votes cast, while his main opponent, incumbent Prime Minister Succès Masra, came in at just over 18%, according to the authority. Former prime minister Albert Pahimi Padacké came in third with just under 17%.
The provisional results of the election must be submitted within 48 hours to the Constitutional Council, which should then announce the final result.
Déby - who seized power in 2021, suspended the constitution, and was installed as the president of the Transitional Military Council - had been the favourite among the 10 candidates.
The 40-year-old became the central African nation's leader when his father, who had repressively ruled Chad since 1990, died from wounds suffered on the front line as he visited troops in the north battling rebels.
Monday's presidential election was the first since the transitional military government took power. Voters and observers alike doubted that the election would be fair.
The vast country of around 19 million people has never experienced a peaceful transfer of power since its independence from its former colonial power France in 1960.
Following the announcement of the election results on Thursday evening, military units were deployed on the streets of the capital N'Djamena and other major cities for security reasons.
Shortly beforehand, Masra had called on the military, the police and all members of the defence and security forces to refuse to obey unjust orders. He then called on his compatriots to take to the streets in peaceful protests from Friday morning.
Despite its tumultuous politics, the West sees Chad as an important ally in fighting Islamist terrorism in the Sahel region.
Chad, the fifth largest country in Africa and the fourth poorest in the world, is located at an important crossroads in the heart of Africa.