Votes are being counted in Chad following a presidential election in which incumbent Idriss Deby is widely expected to extend his 30-year rule, local media reports indicate.

According to local media reports, election officials began counting ballots at a polling station in centre of the capital N’Djamena immediately after polls closed.

The election commission has until April 25 to announce provisional results.

Deby was the first to cast his ballot at a polling station in the capital N’Djamena. He is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

"I’m calling on all Chadians to come out and vote for the candidate of their choice who will have to tackle the major challenges facing our country over the next six years,” Deby told journalists after voting.

The 68 year old came to power spearheading the rebellion that overthrew longtime military ruler Hissene Habre in 1990. He won elections in 1996 and again in 2001 before pushing through a constitutional change in 2018 that could allow him to stay in power until 2033.

Among Deby’s six rivals is former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke, Lydie Beassemda, 54, a former minister of agricultural production, who is also the first woman to run for president in Chad’s history.