Habi Mahamadou Salissou
Encyclopedia
Habi Mahamadou Salissou is a Niger
ien politician and a former Secretary-General of the centre-right
National Movement for the Development of Society
(MNSD). He served in the government of Niger as Minister of Secondary and Higher Education from 2001 to 2004 and as Minister of Trade and Industry from 2004 to 2007.
Considered a strong ally of Prime Minister Hama Amadou
, Salissou supported Amadou following his 2007 split with President Tandja Mamadou
over control of the party. Amadou, deposed in a vote of no-confidence in June 2007 and later arrested for corruption, remained as President of the MNSD, with Salissou as Secretary-General strongly supporting Amadou. Both were removed their posts in early 2009.
in the February 1993 parliamentary election
as an MNSD candidate in Tahoua constituency.
In the November 1999 parliamentary election
, Salissou was again elected to the National Assembly from Tahoua
constituency; he served as a Deputy until September 2001. He was also First Questeur of the National Assembly and First Rapporteur
of the MNSD Parliamentary Group during that period.
In the government named on September 17, 2001, under Prime Minister Hama Amadou
of the MNSD, Salissou was appointed as Minister of Secondary and Higher Education, Research and Technology. Following the December 2004 parliamentary election
, he was appointed Minister of Trade, Industry and the Promotion of the Private Sector in the government named on December 30, 2004.
As Minister of Trade and Industry, Salissou was also designated to chair a national steering committee responsible for talks on an economic partnership agreement
(EPA) between West African countries and the European Union
; the creation of this committee was announced on May 24, 2007.
In addition to being the Secretary-General of the MNSD, Salissou was also President of the MNSD section in Tahoua Region.
Considered close to Amadou, Salissou was not included in the government of Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou
(also of the MNSD), named on June 9, 2007 following a no-confidence vote against the previous government.
. Amadou was jailed for corruption, pending a trial, on 26 June 2008, and he designated Salissou to act as Interim President of the MNSD in his absence. The MNSD Political Commission met on 7 September 2008 and voted to remove Salissou from his post as Interim President, replacing him with Hamidou Sékou; 10 out of 13 members of the Political Commission supported this decision. This was, however, followed by more controversy.
While there was ongoing support for Amadou from sections of the MNSD, especially from his political base in Tillabery, Amadou was finally stripped of the formal leadership of the MNSD in early 2009. A special congress of the MNSD-Nassara held in Zinder
on 21 February 2009 elected Oumarou as the party's President; on the same occasion, Interior Minister Albadé Abouba
was elected as Secretary-General to replace Salissou. This result came after months of wrangling between pro-Tandja and pro-Amadou elements in the party that threatened to split the MNSD and saw pro-Amadou groups join opposition protests against a floated plan to extend Tandja's term past the 2009 elections.
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
ien politician and a former Secretary-General of the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
National Movement for the Development of Society
National Movement for the Development of Society
The National Movement for the Society of Development - MNSD / MNSD-Nassara is a political party in Niger. Founded under the military government of the 1974-1990 period, it was the ruling party of Niger from 1989 to 1993 and again from 1999 until a coup on February 18, 2010, by a military junta...
(MNSD). He served in the government of Niger as Minister of Secondary and Higher Education from 2001 to 2004 and as Minister of Trade and Industry from 2004 to 2007.
Considered a strong ally of Prime Minister Hama Amadou
Hama Amadou
Hama Amadou is a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society from 1991 to 2001 and President of the MNSD-Nassara from 2001 to 2009...
, Salissou supported Amadou following his 2007 split with President Tandja Mamadou
Tandja Mamadou
Lieutenant Colonel Mamadou Tandja is a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement of the Development Society from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNSD's presidential candidate in 1993 and 1996 before being elected to his...
over control of the party. Amadou, deposed in a vote of no-confidence in June 2007 and later arrested for corruption, remained as President of the MNSD, with Salissou as Secretary-General strongly supporting Amadou. Both were removed their posts in early 2009.
Third Republic
Salissou was elected to the National AssemblyNational Assembly of Niger
The unicameral National Assembly of Niger is the country's sole legislative body. The National Assembly may propose laws and is required to approve all legislation.-History:...
in the February 1993 parliamentary election
Nigerien parliamentary election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in Niger on 14 February 1993. They followed the constitutional changes approved in a referendum the previous year, which re-introduced multi-party democracy...
as an MNSD candidate in Tahoua constituency.
Fifth Republic
The MSND opposed the January 1996 coup which led to creation of the Fourth Republic. Salissou was among those arrested following an opposition protest on 11 January 1997.In the November 1999 parliamentary election
Nigerien parliamentary election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Niger on 24 November 1999, co-inciding with the second round of the presidential elections. The vote for the first parliament of the Fifth Republic, which had originally been scheduled for October, but delayed in August, saw a victory for the National Movement...
, Salissou was again elected to the National Assembly from Tahoua
Tahoua
Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative center of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region. It has a population of 99,900 . The city is primarily a market town for the surrounding agricultural area, and a meeting place for the Tuareg people from the north and the Fulani people...
constituency; he served as a Deputy until September 2001. He was also First Questeur of the National Assembly and First Rapporteur
Rapporteur
Rapporteur is used in international and European legal and political contexts to refer to a person appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue or a situation....
of the MNSD Parliamentary Group during that period.
In the government named on September 17, 2001, under Prime Minister Hama Amadou
Hama Amadou
Hama Amadou is a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society from 1991 to 2001 and President of the MNSD-Nassara from 2001 to 2009...
of the MNSD, Salissou was appointed as Minister of Secondary and Higher Education, Research and Technology. Following the December 2004 parliamentary election
Nigerien parliamentary election, 2004
A parliamentary election was held in Niger on 4 December 2004 alongside a simultaneous presidential election. 105 members were elected in 8 multi-member constituencies using the party-list proportional representation system...
, he was appointed Minister of Trade, Industry and the Promotion of the Private Sector in the government named on December 30, 2004.
As Minister of Trade and Industry, Salissou was also designated to chair a national steering committee responsible for talks on an economic partnership agreement
Economic Partnership Agreement
An economic partnership agreement is an economic arrangement that eliminates barriers to the free movement of goods, services, and investment between countries. This agreement can be considered an intermediate step between free trade area and single market in the process of economic integration...
(EPA) between West African countries and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
; the creation of this committee was announced on May 24, 2007.
In addition to being the Secretary-General of the MNSD, Salissou was also President of the MNSD section in Tahoua Region.
Considered close to Amadou, Salissou was not included in the government of Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou
Seyni Oumarou
Seyni Oumarou is a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from June 2007 to September 2009 and President of the National Assembly of Niger from November 2009 to February 2010. He is from the west of the country and is a member of the Djerma ethnic group...
(also of the MNSD), named on June 9, 2007 following a no-confidence vote against the previous government.
Party split
After Amadou was removed from office as Prime Minister, the MNSD experienced division between his supporters (including Salissou) and supporters of President Tandja MamadouTandja Mamadou
Lieutenant Colonel Mamadou Tandja is a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement of the Development Society from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNSD's presidential candidate in 1993 and 1996 before being elected to his...
. Amadou was jailed for corruption, pending a trial, on 26 June 2008, and he designated Salissou to act as Interim President of the MNSD in his absence. The MNSD Political Commission met on 7 September 2008 and voted to remove Salissou from his post as Interim President, replacing him with Hamidou Sékou; 10 out of 13 members of the Political Commission supported this decision. This was, however, followed by more controversy.
While there was ongoing support for Amadou from sections of the MNSD, especially from his political base in Tillabery, Amadou was finally stripped of the formal leadership of the MNSD in early 2009. A special congress of the MNSD-Nassara held in Zinder
Zinder
Zinder is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 by 2005 was estimated to be over 200,000...
on 21 February 2009 elected Oumarou as the party's President; on the same occasion, Interior Minister Albadé Abouba
Albadé Abouba
Albadé Abouba is a Nigerien politician who has been the Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society since 2009. He served in the government of Niger as Minister of the Interior from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2007 to 2010...
was elected as Secretary-General to replace Salissou. This result came after months of wrangling between pro-Tandja and pro-Amadou elements in the party that threatened to split the MNSD and saw pro-Amadou groups join opposition protests against a floated plan to extend Tandja's term past the 2009 elections.