Title XII. Of the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities
Article 202
The Decentralized Territorial Collectivities of the Republic of Chad are:
- the rural communities [communautés];
the communes; the departments; the regions.
Article 203
The Decentralized Territorial Collectivities are endowed with juridical personality.
Their administrative, financial, patrimonial, [and] economic autonomy is guaranteed by the Constitution.
Article 204
The Decentralized Territorial Collectivities administer themselves freely by elected Assemblies which govern by their deliberations the matters which are devolved to them by the Constitution and by the law.
The deliberations of the local Assemblies are executory of plain right on their publication.
However, they may not be contrary to the constitutional, legislative and regulatory provisions.
Article 205
The members of the local Assemblies are elected by universal direct suffrage for a mandate of six years renewable.
Article 206
The local Assemblies elect[,] from within themselves[,] executive organs for a mandate of three years renewable.
The executive organs are responsible before the local Assemblies.
Article 207
The State assures the protection of the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities. It is represented before them by the heads of deconcentrated administrative units given the charge of defending the national interests and of having the laws and regulations respected.
Article 208
The State sees to the harmonious development of all the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities on the basis of national solidarity, of regional potential and of inter-regional equilibrium.
Article 209
The Decentralized Territorial Collectivities assure within the limits of their territorial resort and with the concurrence of the State:
- the public security;
the administration and the management of the territory; the economic, social, health , cultural and scientific development; the protection of the environment.
The law determines the division of the competences in consideration of the local and national interests.
Article 210
The Decentralized Territorial Collectivities vote and administer [gèrent] their budgets.
Article 211
The resources of the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities are constituted notably by:
- the revenues of the imposts and taxes voted by the Assemblies of the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities and collected directly by them;
the part that reverts to them[,] of right[,] from the revenues of imposts and taxes collected to the profit of the budget of the State; the revenues of the endowments and the subsidies attributed by the State; the revenues of the loans contracted by the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities, either on the internal market, or on the external market after the agreement of the national monetary authorities, with or without guaranty of the State; the gifts and bequests; the revenues of their patrimony; the percentage on the revenues of the resources of the soil and of the sub-soil exploited on their territory.
Article 212
The rules relative to the juridical status, to the organization, to the functioning and to the attributions of the Decentralized Territorial Collectivities as well as their relations with the central power are established by an organic law.
