CHAD: PRESIDENT HISSENE HABRE INAUGURATED AFTER WINNING FIRST NATIONWIDE ELECTIONS FOR TWENTY YEARS

Record ID: 863158

  • Title: CHAD: PRESIDENT HISSENE HABRE INAUGURATED AFTER WINNING FIRST NATIONWIDE ELECTIONS FOR TWENTY YEARS
  • Date: 28th December 1989
  • Summary: N'DJAMENA, CHAD (DECEMBER 22, 1989) (REUTERS - BOURMA ALI) ( * BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) GV AND PAN AUDIENCE AWAITING HABRE, THEN CLAPPING WITH HIM WHEN HE ARRIVES (3 SHOTS) 0.15
  • Embargoed: 12th January 1990 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Chad, Chad
  • City:
  • Country: Chad
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC2FIHKOJC9BT1SLV4LMA1WC7R
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Hissene Habre was formally inaugurated as the president of Chad for a seven-year term on Friday (December 22) following the first nationwide elections for twenty years.

    Habre, who was the only candidate, won 99.94 percent of the vote in the nationwide referendum which took place on December 10.

    A new constitution, approved on December 10, provides for Habre to be eligible to succeed to two further seven-year presidential terms.

    He came to power when his forces captured N'Djamena in 1982 and has been ruling by decree ever since.

    In a speech on Friday Habre said that the new constitution "institutionalized the rule of law and deepened the meaning of democracy" in the landlocked African country.

    Forty-five political prisoners, including former Secretary of State for Agriculture Mokhtar Bachar Mokhtar, were freed on the day of the inauguration.

    Interior Minister Togou Djime said the freeing of the prisoners showed that Habre was sincere in his wishes to achieve the unity of all Chadians.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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