Nigerien presidential election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The Republic of Niger
held a presidential election on 31 January 2011. The first round was to be held on January 3 and the second round on January 31, but those dates were postponed to 31 January 2011 (together with parliamentary elections
) and 12 March 2011. The election follows a military coup in February 2010 ousting President Mamadou Tandja.
, and announced that the constitution was suspended and state institutions, such as the National Assembly, would be dissolved. A committee was created to study a new constitution.
In the first week of June, two-round elections were announced for January 2011 by the national election commission. Earlier the National Transitional Council had announced December 26, 2010 as the election date for the first round and January 24, 2011 for the second round and municipal elections. The results were scheduled to be announced on March 4, with the winner taking office on March 11.
In September 2010, the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) announced that the first round of both the presidential and parliamentary election would be delayed by several weeks to 31 January 2011. The delay meant a shift in subsequent dates as well: the second round date was changed to 12 March, and the swearing-in date for the newly elected president was changed to 6 April. CENI President Ghousmane Abdourahmane attributed the delay to "a problem of internal organisation and of financial means", but he vowed that there would be no further delay.
, Mahamane Ousmane
, and Mahamadou Issoufou
, some of Niger's most important politicians.
The election took place peacefully as scheduled on January 31, 2011. The results necessitated a second round, to be held on March 12.
, who was Prime Minister from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007, returned from exile in France in March 2010 and created a new party, the Nigerien Democratic Movement (MDN). On 11 July 2010, he publicly announced his desire to stand as the MDN's candidate for the 2011 presidential election and vowed to "fight as hard as I can to win power".
The junta kept Tandja in detention following the coup, making it impossible for him to pursue any political activity; his ousted party, the National Movement for a Developing Society (MNSD), repeatedly demanded his release. The MNSD was expected to nominate its President, Seyni Oumarou
—who was Prime Minister from 2007 to 2009 and President of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2010—as its presidential candidate. However, Oumarou was accused of embezzlement and arrested on 29 July 2010. The Commission to Fight Financial Crime alleged that he owed the state 270 million CFA francs. The MNSD expressed outrage at the arrest of Oumarou and demanded his release; it said that the charge against him was a politically motivated effort to smear and marginalize the party. On 2 August 2010, Oumarou was charged and released on bail.
The MNSD announced on 10 August 2010 that Oumarou had been designated as its presidential candidate at a party congress.
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
(PNDS) designated Mahamadou Issoufou
as the party's presidential candidate at a meeting in early November 2010. Issoufou said on the occasion that "the moment has come, the conditions are right", and he called on party members to "turn these conditions into votes at the ballot box". Some observers considered Issoufou—a major figure in Nigerien politics for many years—to be potentially the strongest candidate in the election.
The Constitutional Council of the Transition approved ten presidential candidates in December 2010, including all the key contenders: Mahamadou Issoufou, Mahamane Ousmane, Seyni Oumarou, Hama Amadou, Amadou Boubacar Cissé, Amadou Cheiffou
, Moussa Djermakoye Moumouni, Ousmane Issoufou Oubandawaki
, Bavard Mariama Gamatie Hamidou, and Abdoulaye Amadou Traore. One candidate, Ibrahima Saidou Maiga, was rejected.
As the election date approached in January 2011, Issoufou, Oumarou, and Amadou were seen as the favourites; the latter two agreed to back each other if only one of them should enter the run-off.
The MDN announced on 9 February 2011 that it was switching sides to support Issoufou rather than Oumarou in the second round. Although about 20 parties had backed Oumarou, the MDN's defection suggested that Issoufou was likely to win, as Issoufou and Amadou received a combined total of more than 50% of the vote in the first round. The momentum continued to favor Issoufou, as another three candidates—Amadou Cheffou, Moussa Moumouni Djermakoye, and Amadou Boubacar Cisse—announced on 10 February that they had also decided to endorse Issoufou. Those three candidates had first-round scores in the single-digits, but together they represented about 10% of the first round vote.
On 22 February 2011, the Constitutional Council confirmed the results of the first round, ruling that Issoufou won 36.16% in the first round and would face Oumarou in a second round on 12 March.
Symbolically, the two second round candidates stood in sharp contrast: while Issoufou had been an opposition leader during Tandja's decade-long presidency, Oumarou had been one of Tandja's top associates and remained loyal to him. The two candidates appeared to have broadly similar campaign promises, however. They expressed their intentions to alleviate severe poverty and chronic food shortages and to better distribute the wealth produced through uranium mining
so that it would be more beneficial to ordinary people. Because the National Assembly elected earlier in 2011 was widely perceived as unrepresentative due to flaws in the organization of the parliamentary election, both Issoufou and Oumarou said that they would dissolve the National Assembly and call a new election.
The second round was held as planned on 12 March 2011. Abdourahmane, the President of the Electoral Commission, announced on 14 March 2011 that Issoufou had won the election with 58% of the vote against 42% for Oumarou. Turnout was placed at about 48%, a slight decrease from the first round's turnout. Speaking at a press conference on the same day, Issoufou praised the conduct of the people during the election, saying that they had showed "great political maturity". He also offered praise to the junta for its conduct in overseeing a successful transition and a free and fair election.
On 16 March 2011, Oumarou announced that he accepted the results, congratulating Issoufou and wishing him success in governing the country. In choosing not to challenge the results, he said that he felt it was important that the country avoid "a new spiral of endless difficulties" and he stressed the importance of national reconciliation.
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...
held a presidential election on 31 January 2011. The first round was to be held on January 3 and the second round on January 31, but those dates were postponed to 31 January 2011 (together with parliamentary elections
Nigerien parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election was held in Niger on 31 January 2011, following President Mamadou Tandja ouster in a military coup and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly in February 2010...
) and 12 March 2011. The election follows a military coup in February 2010 ousting President Mamadou Tandja.
Background
Following President Tandja's attempts to extend his mandate beyond 2009, he was captured by soldiers who attacked his residence on 18 February 2010. Military leaders then created the Supreme Council for the Restoration of DemocracySupreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy
The Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy , led by Salou Djibo, is a military junta that staged a coup in Niger on 18 February 2010, deposing President Mamadou Tandja...
, and announced that the constitution was suspended and state institutions, such as the National Assembly, would be dissolved. A committee was created to study a new constitution.
In the first week of June, two-round elections were announced for January 2011 by the national election commission. Earlier the National Transitional Council had announced December 26, 2010 as the election date for the first round and January 24, 2011 for the second round and municipal elections. The results were scheduled to be announced on March 4, with the winner taking office on March 11.
In September 2010, the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) announced that the first round of both the presidential and parliamentary election would be delayed by several weeks to 31 January 2011. The delay meant a shift in subsequent dates as well: the second round date was changed to 12 March, and the swearing-in date for the newly elected president was changed to 6 April. CENI President Ghousmane Abdourahmane attributed the delay to "a problem of internal organisation and of financial means", but he vowed that there would be no further delay.
Election
17 parties that had previously united against Tandja as the Coordination of Democratic Forces for the Republic announced on 17 July 2010 that they had formed "a strategic alliance" for the presidential election. Under the terms of the alliance, the parties would run separate candidates in the first round of the election and then unite in the second round to support whichever of the alliance's candidates passed through to the second round. The alliance included Hama AmadouHama 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...
, Mahamane Ousmane
Mahamane Ousmane
Mahamane Ousmane is a Nigerien politician. He was the first democratically elected and fourth President of Niger, serving from 16 April 1993 until his ouster in a military coup d'état on 27 January 1996. He has continued to run for President in each election since his ouster, and he was President...
, and Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou is a Nigerien politician who has been President of Niger since 7 April 2011. Previously he was Prime Minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and he has stood as a candidate in each presidential election since 1993.Issoufou...
, some of Niger's most important politicians.
The election took place peacefully as scheduled on January 31, 2011. The results necessitated a second round, to be held on March 12.
Candidates
Hama AmadouHama 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...
, who was Prime Minister from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007, returned from exile in France in March 2010 and created a new party, the Nigerien Democratic Movement (MDN). On 11 July 2010, he publicly announced his desire to stand as the MDN's candidate for the 2011 presidential election and vowed to "fight as hard as I can to win power".
The junta kept Tandja in detention following the coup, making it impossible for him to pursue any political activity; his ousted party, the National Movement for a Developing Society (MNSD), repeatedly demanded his release. The MNSD was expected to nominate its President, 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...
—who was Prime Minister from 2007 to 2009 and President of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2010—as its presidential candidate. However, Oumarou was accused of embezzlement and arrested on 29 July 2010. The Commission to Fight Financial Crime alleged that he owed the state 270 million CFA francs. The MNSD expressed outrage at the arrest of Oumarou and demanded his release; it said that the charge against him was a politically motivated effort to smear and marginalize the party. On 2 August 2010, Oumarou was charged and released on bail.
The MNSD announced on 10 August 2010 that Oumarou had been designated as its presidential candidate at a party congress.
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism is a political party in Niger. It is a broadly left-wing party, part of the Socialist International; since 2011 it has been in power following the election of its long-time leader, Mahamadou Issoufou, as President of Niger. Mohamed Bazoum is Acting...
(PNDS) designated Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou is a Nigerien politician who has been President of Niger since 7 April 2011. Previously he was Prime Minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and he has stood as a candidate in each presidential election since 1993.Issoufou...
as the party's presidential candidate at a meeting in early November 2010. Issoufou said on the occasion that "the moment has come, the conditions are right", and he called on party members to "turn these conditions into votes at the ballot box". Some observers considered Issoufou—a major figure in Nigerien politics for many years—to be potentially the strongest candidate in the election.
The Constitutional Council of the Transition approved ten presidential candidates in December 2010, including all the key contenders: Mahamadou Issoufou, Mahamane Ousmane, Seyni Oumarou, Hama Amadou, Amadou Boubacar Cissé, Amadou Cheiffou
Amadou Cheiffou
Amadou Cheiffou is a Nigerien politician. He was the transitional Prime Minister of Niger from 26 October 1991 to 17 April 1993...
, Moussa Djermakoye Moumouni, Ousmane Issoufou Oubandawaki
Ousmane Issoufou Oubandawaki
Ousmane Issoufou Oubandawaki is a Nigerien politician. An engineer by profession, specializing in civil aviation, Oubandawaki held various posts at ASECNA and served in the government of Niger under President Ibrahim Baré Mainassara, first as Minister of National Defense from 1996 to 1997 and...
, Bavard Mariama Gamatie Hamidou, and Abdoulaye Amadou Traore. One candidate, Ibrahima Saidou Maiga, was rejected.
As the election date approached in January 2011, Issoufou, Oumarou, and Amadou were seen as the favourites; the latter two agreed to back each other if only one of them should enter the run-off.
Results
Electoral Commission President Gousmane Abdourahmane announced on 4 February 2011 that PNDS candidate Issoufou and MNSD candidate Oumarou were the two first-placed candidates in the first round and would advance to the run-off. According to the results, Issoufou received 36.06% of the vote while Oumarou trailed with 23.2%. MDN candidate Hama Amadou placed third with 19.82% of the vote and CDS candidate Mahamane Ousmane placed fourth with 8.42%. As both Amadou and Ousmane had allied themselves with Oumarou and against Issoufou, it initially appeared that Oumarou could enter the second round in a strong position, but the solidity of the alliance was reportedly unclear.The MDN announced on 9 February 2011 that it was switching sides to support Issoufou rather than Oumarou in the second round. Although about 20 parties had backed Oumarou, the MDN's defection suggested that Issoufou was likely to win, as Issoufou and Amadou received a combined total of more than 50% of the vote in the first round. The momentum continued to favor Issoufou, as another three candidates—Amadou Cheffou, Moussa Moumouni Djermakoye, and Amadou Boubacar Cisse—announced on 10 February that they had also decided to endorse Issoufou. Those three candidates had first-round scores in the single-digits, but together they represented about 10% of the first round vote.
On 22 February 2011, the Constitutional Council confirmed the results of the first round, ruling that Issoufou won 36.16% in the first round and would face Oumarou in a second round on 12 March.
Symbolically, the two second round candidates stood in sharp contrast: while Issoufou had been an opposition leader during Tandja's decade-long presidency, Oumarou had been one of Tandja's top associates and remained loyal to him. The two candidates appeared to have broadly similar campaign promises, however. They expressed their intentions to alleviate severe poverty and chronic food shortages and to better distribute the wealth produced through uranium mining
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
so that it would be more beneficial to ordinary people. Because the National Assembly elected earlier in 2011 was widely perceived as unrepresentative due to flaws in the organization of the parliamentary election, both Issoufou and Oumarou said that they would dissolve the National Assembly and call a new election.
The second round was held as planned on 12 March 2011. Abdourahmane, the President of the Electoral Commission, announced on 14 March 2011 that Issoufou had won the election with 58% of the vote against 42% for Oumarou. Turnout was placed at about 48%, a slight decrease from the first round's turnout. Speaking at a press conference on the same day, Issoufou praised the conduct of the people during the election, saying that they had showed "great political maturity". He also offered praise to the junta for its conduct in overseeing a successful transition and a free and fair election.
On 16 March 2011, Oumarou announced that he accepted the results, congratulating Issoufou and wishing him success in governing the country. In choosing not to challenge the results, he said that he felt it was important that the country avoid "a new spiral of endless difficulties" and he stressed the importance of national reconciliation.