Since 1995 Ouaido has been in politics under the banner of President Idriss Déby's party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS), serving as Minister of Education and Minister of Planning and Cooperation.[2] He was Secretary-General at the President's Office when, following the resignation of Koibla Djimasta's cabinet, he was appointed by the President on May 17, 1997 as the new Prime Minister.[3] This change originated from the rallying to the government of the opposition leader Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué, who was thus elected President of the National Assembly with the support of the MPS on May 9. Ouaido's new cabinet included representatives of several parties, even if the key posts were kept by the MPS;[1][4][5] it was appointed on May 21.[6]
Ouaido was eventually replaced two years later, on December 13, 1999, and succeeded by Nagoum Yamassoum,[7][8] also of the ruling party and considered a close aide of Déby. It is believed that Ouaido's expected removal was motivated by two main reasons: the failure to quell the insurgency led by the former Minister of Interior Youssouf Togoïmi and the difficulties with the Doba oilfield project, abandoned by the oil companies Elf Aquitaine and Royal Dutch Shell.[9] Another element was the fall of cotton prices, which affected the country's first source of exports and thus increased the deficit.[10]
In the April 2002 parliamentary election, Ouaido was elected to the National Assembly as an MPS candidate from Gounou Gaya constituency in Kabia Department.[11] When the new National Assembly first met on June 10, 2002, he was elected as the President of the National Assembly.[12][13]
On February 29, 2008,[14] Ouaido was appointed by Déby to head an international commission of inquiry into the disappearances of opposition leaders who were allegedly arrested by the government earlier in the month.[14][15] However, there were concerns from the opposition and non-governmental organizations that this commission would not act independently, and it was subsequently replaced by another commission, which was viewed more favorably[16] and was not headed by Ouaido, on April 2.[17]