Mahamat Déby, Chad’s military ruler, has been declared winner of the presidential poll, legitimising the continuation of his family’s 34-year grip on power.

According to Chad’s National Election Management Agency on Thursday, General Déby won 61.3 per cent of the vote to defeat his closest rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra, who won 18.53 per cent.

Mr Déby, 40, took over the country’s leadership after his father, former President Idriss Déby Itno, was killed in a gun battle against a rebel group in April 2021.