Chad’s President Idriss Déby has died suddenly in clashes with rebels in the north of the country at the weekend, the army has said on state TV.
On Monday, provisional results from the election on 11 April projected he would win a sixth term in office, with 80% of the vote.
The government and parliament have been dissolved. A military council will govern for the next 18 months.
Mr Déby, 68, was one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.