conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: Republique du Tchad
local short form: Tchad

CD

republic

N'Djamena

14 prefectures (prefectures, singular -
prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi,
Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi,
Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile

11 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

passed by referendum 31 March 1995

based on French civil law system and Chadian customary
law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December 1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Nagdum YAMASSOUM (since 13 December
1999)
cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms;
if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the two
candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second round of
voting; last held 2 June and 11 July 1996 (next to be held June 2001);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: in the first round of voting none of the 15
candidates received the required 50% of the total vote; percent of
vote, first round - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 43.8%, Wadal Abdelkader
KAMOUGUE 12.4%; percent of vote, second round - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY
69.1%, Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE 30.9%
note: government coalition - MPS, UNDR, and URD

unicameral National Assembly (125 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); replaces the Higher
Transitional Council or the Conseil Superieur de Transition
elections: National Assembly - last held in two rounds on 5 January
and 23 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2001); in the first round of
voting some candidates won clear victories by receiving 50% or more of
the vote; where that did not happen, the two highest scoring
candidates stood for a second round of voting
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS
65, URD 29, UNDR 15, RDP 3, others 13

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts;
Magistrate Courts

National Union for Development and
Renewal or UNDR ; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS
(originally in opposition but now the
party in power and the party of the president); Rally for Democracy
and Progress or RDP ; Union for Renewal and
Democracy or URD

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO

chief of mission: Ambassador Hassaballah Abdelhadi Ahmat SOUBIANE
chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:  (202) 462-4009
FAX:  (202) 265-1937

chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher GOLDTHWAIT
embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena
telephone:  (51) 70-09, (51) 90-52, (51) 92-33
FAX:  (51) 56-54

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
yellow, and red; 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