Rally for Democracy and Progress (Niger)
Encyclopedia
The Rally for Democracy and Progress (commonly: RDP-Jama'a) is a political party
in Niger
. It was established as the ruling party during the presidency of Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
.
was elected leader of the RDP-Jama'a on August 20, 1997.
, while another backed party vice-chairman Amadou Cissé
. The Court of State accepted Algabid's candidacy and rejected Cissé's. Algabid took fourth place in the election, with 10.83% of the vote, and backed Mahamadou Issoufou
of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
(PNDS) in the second round. Some in the RPD disagreed with this decision and backed Tandja Mamadou
of the National Movement for the Development of Society
(MNSD) instead. Tandja won the second round against Issoufou. The RDP won eight seats in the November 1999 parliamentary election
, and following the election it formed part of the opposition in the National Assembly
, along with the PNDS.
for participants in both the 1996 and 1999 coups be lifted, but this proposal was rejected by a large majority of deputies on April 21, 2001. Along with other opposition parties, the RPD was part of a demonstration by about 3,000 people in Niamey
on April 7, 2002, shortly before the anniversary of the assassination, demanding an international inquiry.
held on 16 November 2004, Algabid, the RDP candidate, won 4.9 % of the vote in the first round. The RDP then backed incumbent president Tandja Mamadou
in the second round. In the parliamentary election
, held along with the presidential second round on 4 December, the party won 6.5 % of the popular vote and 6 out of 113 seats.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Niger
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...
. It was established as the ruling party during the presidency of Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara was a military officer in the West African country of Niger who seized power in a January 1996 coup d'état and ruled the country until his assassination during the military coup of April 1999....
.
Under second military regime and Fourth Republic
The National Union of Independents for Democratic Renewal (UNIRD) was established in 1996 to support Maïnassara in that year's elections, but subsequently the RDP-Jama'a was established as the ruling party. At the RDP's national congress, Hamid AlgabidHamid Algabid
Hamid Algabid is a Nigerien politician and the President of the Rally for Democracy and Progress party. A lawyer, banker, and technocrat, Algabid was an important figure in the regime of Seyni Kountché, serving as Prime Minister of Niger from 1983 to 1988...
was elected leader of the RDP-Jama'a on August 20, 1997.
Fifth Republic
After Maïnassara was assassinated in April 1999, a new transitional military regime held elections late in the year. One faction of the RDP chose Algabid as its candidate in the presidential electionNigerien presidential election, 1999
A presidential election was held in Niger in late 1999, with the first round on October 17 and a second round, coinciding with a parliamentary election, on November 24. The election followed a coup d'état on April 9, 1999, in which Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, who had led an earlier coup in January...
, while another backed party vice-chairman Amadou Cissé
Amadou Cissé
Amadou Boubacar Cissé is a Nigerien politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Niger on two occasions, from 8 to 21 February 1995 and again from 21 December 1996 to 27 November 1997...
. The Court of State accepted Algabid's candidacy and rejected Cissé's. Algabid took fourth place in the election, with 10.83% of the vote, and backed 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...
of 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) in the second round. Some in the RPD disagreed with this decision and backed 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...
of the 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) instead. Tandja won the second round against Issoufou. The RDP won eight seats 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...
, and following the election it formed part of the opposition in the National Assembly
National 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:...
, along with the PNDS.
2001 party congress
Algabid was re-elected President of the RDP for another three-year term at a party congress on January 23, 2001. As of 2001 there was a dispute between factions in the RDP; a dissident faction, led by Idi Ango Omar, opposed Algabid's nomination of executive members of the party.Agitation concerning Maïnassara's death
The RPD has sought an international inquiry regarding Maïnassara's death. Following his re-election as RDP President in January 2001, Algabid said that the party's "immediate objective" was "to secure the opening of an international commission of inquiry into the assassination of president Mainassara". In the National Assembly, the RDP proposed that the amnestyAmnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
for participants in both the 1996 and 1999 coups be lifted, but this proposal was rejected by a large majority of deputies on April 21, 2001. Along with other opposition parties, the RPD was part of a demonstration by about 3,000 people in Niamey
Niamey
-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
on April 7, 2002, shortly before the anniversary of the assassination, demanding an international inquiry.
2004 election
In the presidential electionNiger presidential election, 2004
The Republic of Niger held a presidential election on 16 November 2004. Voter turnout in this round of polling was 48.3%. It was won by Tandja Mamadou.-Candidates:Six candidates contested the election:...
held on 16 November 2004, Algabid, the RDP candidate, won 4.9 % of the vote in the first round. The RDP then backed incumbent 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...
in the second round. In the 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...
, held along with the presidential second round on 4 December, the party won 6.5 % of the popular vote and 6 out of 113 seats.