HSB Identification takes over Chad biometric electoral register contract from Idemia ahead of 2020 vote

Chad will hold national elections this year, and the country’s Commission électorale nationale indépendante (CENI) has selected HSB Identification to provide biometric updates to its electoral register, Africa Intelligence reports.

The decision to hold elections, which have been postponed for more than five years, was made by President Idriss Déby based on pressure from international donors, according to the report. They are now scheduled for December 13, 2020.

Africa Intelligence says Gemalto, SELP, Zetes, and IEC Electronics were among several international companies bidding for the contract with CENI. Idemia previously held the contract.

Opposition parties are split on how to approach the elections, with several currently blocked from submitting electoral lists, highlighting the importance of trust and transparency, and therefore the biometric system, to any successful election in Chad. One party leader is not eligible to run, according to some observers, due to a criminal conviction in 2013.

Chad has faced a number of ID-related challenges, with one of the lowest rates of birth registration in the world and a biometric ID for public services has been criticized for failing to make things easier for citizens.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  Chad  |  elections  |  HSB Identification  |  voter registration