Sawaba
Encyclopedia
The Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress-Sawaba (UDFP-Sawaba) is a political party
in Niger
, founded as the Nigerien Democratic Union in 1954. The original party, founded by Nigerien Progressive Party (PPN) co-leader Djibo Bakary
when he was expelled from the PPN. In the mid 1950s it created a broad coalition led by urban leftists but forged of conservative rural notables, especially from Hausa
areas, which dominated the nascent Nigerien independence movement. In this period it was renamed Mouvement Socialiste Africain-Sawaba, and then simply Sawaba. In pushing for complete independence from France in a 1958 referendum, the party fractured. At independence in 1960 it found itself in opposition and outlawed by Niger's first president, Hamani Diori
. From exile, the party attempted an abortive guerrilla campaign in the mid 1960s, and then largely disappeared. Its leadership returned to Niger following the 1974 military coup, but soon found themselves arrested, in exile, or marginalised. Following the return of democracy in 1991, the now elderly Bakary re-founded the party as UDFP-SAWABA. In the 1993 elections it took only a small numbers of votes. Within the year the party had split, with a new faction (UDFR-SAWABA) joining the government coalition. Despite Bakary's death in 1998 and their continued electoral underachievement, both parties holding the Sawaba name continue.
in 1959-1960. Under first the French Union
and then the French Community
, the colonies of French West Africa
began to develop semi-autonomous political institutions in the decade and a half of the French Fourth Republic
. Territories, like Niger, were granted consultative posts, first to the colonial government of West Africa (in Dakar
), and later in Territorial Assemblies. These bodies had very limited powers, limited seats for Africans, and those elected were chosen by a very restricted electorate.
was a prominent member, and which numbered only 5000 members. Simultaneously, these colonial territories were allowed limited representation in the French National Assembly
, with Niger allotted one seat in 1946 and a second in 1948. PPN Party leader Hamani Diori
filled the first, and a French educated Niamey lawyer, Djibo Bakary
filled the second. Bakary, a leftist, helped push the party -- already perceived as anti-French -- in a populist direction. The PPN was allied to the pan-colony African Democratic Rally
(RDA), which itself caucused with the French Communist Party
in the National Assembly. Some elements, such as RDA leader Félix Houphouët-Boigny
, were uncomfortable with this connection. Many in the PPN felt the same way, while many other, grouped around Bakary and the tiny Nigerien Trades Union movement, pulled to the left. Earlier splits of the PPN, of conservative Djerma traditional leaders and a small Franco-Nigerien contingent in 1946, were added to 1948 in reaction to Bakary and his circle and to the continued association with the RDA. Harou Kouka and Georges Condat split to form a group (Parti Independent du Niger-Est, PINE) that quickly joined with previous dissidents to create the Union of Nigerien Independents and Sympathizers (UNIS). This relatively conservative coalition benefited from French support, and gained control of the consultative institutions of the Niger colony from 1948-1952.
, but also under pressure of vehemently anti-communist Colonial administrators in French West Africa
, and at the urging of moderates like the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) in the French Assembly. The PPN then split on the issue of connection to the Communists, a rupture that had been growing since its formation. Djibo Bakary
was expelled from the RDA for his refusal to break from the PCF, and the left of the PPN formed the UDN (Nigerien Democratic Union) in 1954.
The UDN, although small in numbers and led by a leftist Djerma intellectual, had powerful support amongst elements of the Hausa east of Niger, who viewed the UNIS (one of whose leaders was the Djermakoy
of Dosso
) as unrepresentative of their interests. In 1954-56 the UNIS itself split over involvement in the African Convention
coalition, fracturing into the Nigerien Democratic Forces (FDN) and the Niger Action Bloc (BNA). The PPN was the winner in this confusion, forming the largest alliance of traditional rulers while retaining its pro-independence stance. The UDN, on the other hand, became the primary opposition, with some PPN members claiming Bakary was being aided by the French, simply to damage the PPN.
s, Sultans, Mai
s, Sarki
s, and chiefs. Between 1954 and 1956, Bakary and the UDN managed to cobble together a coalition of Zinder
merchants, Maradi notables, the Djermakoy and his BNA party, and the tiny urban labour and leftist movements of Niamey. This last group led the UDN into an interterritorial faction called the African Socialist Movement
(MSA). The UDN absorbed the BNA, and took the name "Sawaba": Hausa
for "Freedom". In the run up to the 1956 Niger colony municipal elections, while negotiations were still ongoing to create the MSA bloc, the Nigerien party preemptively rechristened itself Mouvement Socialiste Africain-Sawaba.
This new bloc, aided by the distaste of the French authorities for the PPN, led Sawaba to victory in Niamey and Hausaland. In 1956 Bakary became the mayor of Niamey
. In 1957 the party won the Territorial legislative elections, and Bakary, as party leader, became President of the Niger Territorial Assembly.
But Sawaba's left soon fell afoul of the Territories French administrator, Governor Colombani. With the Creation of the French Fifth Republic
, all French colonial territories
were to vote on a new mandate for the continuation of French control in a new, if largely unchanged, structure, the French Community
. The 1956 reforms of the Loi Cadre
and the French Union
had not dampened resistance to French rule in east Asia, Madagascar
and elsewhere. The 1958 constitution aimed to do just this. With the RDA leadership behind the new reform, the French seemed certain to maintain legal authority for their control of West Africa, until two African parties unexpectedly came out for a "No" vote: Sekou Toure's Guinean Democratic Party in Guinea
and Djibo Bakary and Sawaba.
The French authorities in Guinea failed to, despite much effort, to encourage or coerce a "yes" vote, and it became the first of the French African colonies to declare independence in December 1958. Sawaba, on the other hand, was roundly defeated, garnnering barely 20% of the vote. Its Hausa, Fulani and Djerma traditionalist leaders deserted the party and the French withdrew their support and began to aid the PPN, who had formed their own coalition to advocate for a "Yes" vote on the referendum. The vote was immediately followed by one for the new Nigerien Constituent Assembly which was to replace the Territorial Assembly under the French plan. The PPN not only won, but took 44 seats to Sawaba's 8.
With the ascension of Diori and the PPN, Sawaba was banned by the authorities in 1959, just prior to the first elections for the new National Assembly of Niger
. Niger did not have multiparty legislative elections again until 1993.
, East Germany and Guinea
until 1975.
Gradually Sawaba moved from a pro-Soviet to a pro-China
position. On April 13, 1963, the party tried to kill president Hamani Diori
with a grenade attack. Guerrilla forces were allegedly trained in Algeria
, Ghana and China. In November 1964 the Sawaba guerrillas entered Niger attacking the small desert outpost of Tamanrasset, and after engaging in a high profile skirmish, were arrested. Both the government and Sawaba publicised this for their own ends. With the overthrow of Malian leader Modibo Keita
in 1968, and the eventual death of Chairman Mao Zedong
in China, the party reoriented itself back to a pro-Soviet position.
(AFC) coalition, ironically beside the reformation of its bitter enemy from the 1950s, the PPN-RDA. Djibo Bakary lead the UDFP-SAWABA faction into coalition with the rival National Movement for the Development of Society
coalition, until his death in 1998. In the 1993 presidential election, his party won only 1.68 percent of the vote, with the legislative candidates winning one seat.
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...
, founded as the Nigerien Democratic Union in 1954. The original party, founded by Nigerien Progressive Party (PPN) co-leader Djibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary was a socialist politician and important figure in the independence movement of Niger. Bakary was the first Nigerien to hold local executive power since the beginning of French colonialism...
when he was expelled from the PPN. In the mid 1950s it created a broad coalition led by urban leftists but forged of conservative rural notables, especially from Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
areas, which dominated the nascent Nigerien independence movement. In this period it was renamed Mouvement Socialiste Africain-Sawaba, and then simply Sawaba. In pushing for complete independence from France in a 1958 referendum, the party fractured. At independence in 1960 it found itself in opposition and outlawed by Niger's first president, Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence.- Youth :...
. From exile, the party attempted an abortive guerrilla campaign in the mid 1960s, and then largely disappeared. Its leadership returned to Niger following the 1974 military coup, but soon found themselves arrested, in exile, or marginalised. Following the return of democracy in 1991, the now elderly Bakary re-founded the party as UDFP-SAWABA. In the 1993 elections it took only a small numbers of votes. Within the year the party had split, with a new faction (UDFR-SAWABA) joining the government coalition. Despite Bakary's death in 1998 and their continued electoral underachievement, both parties holding the Sawaba name continue.
Pre-independence
Sawaba was an outgrowth of several sources, and passed through several name changes prior to Niger's independence from FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1959-1960. Under first the French Union
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
and then the French Community
French Community
The French Community was an association of states known in French simply as La Communauté. In 1958 it replaced the French Union, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire in 1946....
, the colonies of French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
began to develop semi-autonomous political institutions in the decade and a half of the French Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
. Territories, like Niger, were granted consultative posts, first to the colonial government of West Africa (in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
), and later in Territorial Assemblies. These bodies had very limited powers, limited seats for Africans, and those elected were chosen by a very restricted electorate.
In the PPN
In 1946 the single pro-independence party in Niger was the Nigerien Progressive Party (PPN), of which Djibo BakaryDjibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary was a socialist politician and important figure in the independence movement of Niger. Bakary was the first Nigerien to hold local executive power since the beginning of French colonialism...
was a prominent member, and which numbered only 5000 members. Simultaneously, these colonial territories were allowed limited representation in the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
, with Niger allotted one seat in 1946 and a second in 1948. PPN Party leader Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence.- Youth :...
filled the first, and a French educated Niamey lawyer, Djibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary was a socialist politician and important figure in the independence movement of Niger. Bakary was the first Nigerien to hold local executive power since the beginning of French colonialism...
filled the second. Bakary, a leftist, helped push the party -- already perceived as anti-French -- in a populist direction. The PPN was allied to the pan-colony African Democratic Rally
African Democratic Rally
The African Democratic Rally was a political party in French West Africa, led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Founded in Bamako in 1946, the RDA quickly became one of the most important forces for independence in the region. Initially a Pan-Africanist movement, the RDA ceased to function as a...
(RDA), which itself caucused with the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
in the National Assembly. Some elements, such as RDA leader Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Félix Houphouët-Boigny , affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux, was the first President of Côte d'Ivoire. Originally a village chief, he worked as a doctor, an administrator of a plantation, and a union leader, before being elected to the French Parliament and serving in a number of...
, were uncomfortable with this connection. Many in the PPN felt the same way, while many other, grouped around Bakary and the tiny Nigerien Trades Union movement, pulled to the left. Earlier splits of the PPN, of conservative Djerma traditional leaders and a small Franco-Nigerien contingent in 1946, were added to 1948 in reaction to Bakary and his circle and to the continued association with the RDA. Harou Kouka and Georges Condat split to form a group (Parti Independent du Niger-Est, PINE) that quickly joined with previous dissidents to create the Union of Nigerien Independents and Sympathizers (UNIS). This relatively conservative coalition benefited from French support, and gained control of the consultative institutions of the Niger colony from 1948-1952.
Formation of UDN
In the interim, the PPN split further. The RDA, never ideologically cohesive, finally split from the French Communist Party, in 1951, in part because of the ideological differences of most African independence leaders with CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, but also under pressure of vehemently anti-communist Colonial administrators in French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
, and at the urging of moderates like the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) in the French Assembly. The PPN then split on the issue of connection to the Communists, a rupture that had been growing since its formation. Djibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary
Djibo Bakary was a socialist politician and important figure in the independence movement of Niger. Bakary was the first Nigerien to hold local executive power since the beginning of French colonialism...
was expelled from the RDA for his refusal to break from the PCF, and the left of the PPN formed the UDN (Nigerien Democratic Union) in 1954.
The UDN, although small in numbers and led by a leftist Djerma intellectual, had powerful support amongst elements of the Hausa east of Niger, who viewed the UNIS (one of whose leaders was the Djermakoy
Djermakoy
The Djermakoy is the title given to rulers of the Djerma/Zarma states in what is now southwest Niger...
of Dosso
Dosso
Dosso might refer to either:*Dosso in Niger:**Dosso Region, a region in Niger**Dosso , a département in Niger**Dosso, Niger, a town, capital of the Dosso département**Dosso Kingdom, the pre-colonial and modern ceremonial power in Dosso....
) as unrepresentative of their interests. In 1954-56 the UNIS itself split over involvement in the African Convention
African Convention
African Convention was a political party in French West Africa. The CA was formed at a meeting in Dakar on 11 January 1957. The CA constisted of the Senegalese Popular Bloc of Léopold Sédar Senghor, the African Popular Movement of Nazi Boni in Upper Volta and the Nigerien Democratic Front of...
coalition, fracturing into the Nigerien Democratic Forces (FDN) and the Niger Action Bloc (BNA). The PPN was the winner in this confusion, forming the largest alliance of traditional rulers while retaining its pro-independence stance. The UDN, on the other hand, became the primary opposition, with some PPN members claiming Bakary was being aided by the French, simply to damage the PPN.
Rule
In the 1955 Territorial elections, the BNA defeated the PPN, with the UDN making little ground. But politics in the Niger Territory of this period was a largely unideological game of traditional and urban elites. The 1955 elections saw less than 250,000 votes cast in a nation of almost 3 million, and these were mostly won in blocks directed by the elite of DjermakoyDjermakoy
The Djermakoy is the title given to rulers of the Djerma/Zarma states in what is now southwest Niger...
s, Sultans, Mai
Mai
-Given name:*Mai , an Arabic female name*Mai or Maj, a Swedish female name *Mai, a female Vietnamese name*Mai, the title of Sayfawa dynasty kings of Chad...
s, Sarki
Sarki
Sarki may refer to*Sarki, a well-dwelling snake slain by the mythological prince Bayajidda*Şarkı, a vocal genre in Ottoman classical music*Sarki, a Newcastle rock band made up of members; Shane Kurnia on guitar, Scott Allen on drums, Dom Willson on bass and Matty Munro of vocals*Sirki, a Sindhi...
s, and chiefs. Between 1954 and 1956, Bakary and the UDN managed to cobble together a coalition of 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...
merchants, Maradi notables, the Djermakoy and his BNA party, and the tiny urban labour and leftist movements of Niamey. This last group led the UDN into an interterritorial faction called the African Socialist Movement
African Socialist Movement
African Socialist Movement was a political party in French West Africa. The MSA was formed following a meeting of the Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière federations of Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, French Sudan , Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Oubangui-Chari , and Senegal; the...
(MSA). The UDN absorbed the BNA, and took the name "Sawaba": Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
for "Freedom". In the run up to the 1956 Niger colony municipal elections, while negotiations were still ongoing to create the MSA bloc, the Nigerien party preemptively rechristened itself Mouvement Socialiste Africain-Sawaba.
This new bloc, aided by the distaste of the French authorities for the PPN, led Sawaba to victory in Niamey and Hausaland. In 1956 Bakary became the mayor of 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...
. In 1957 the party won the Territorial legislative elections, and Bakary, as party leader, became President of the Niger Territorial Assembly.
But Sawaba's left soon fell afoul of the Territories French administrator, Governor Colombani. With the Creation of the French Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
, all French colonial territories
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
were to vote on a new mandate for the continuation of French control in a new, if largely unchanged, structure, the French Community
French Community
The French Community was an association of states known in French simply as La Communauté. In 1958 it replaced the French Union, which had itself succeeded the French colonial empire in 1946....
. The 1956 reforms of the Loi Cadre
Loi Cadre
The loi-cadre was a French legal reform passed by the French National Assembly on 23 June 1956. It marked a turning point in relations between France and its overseas empire...
and the French Union
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
had not dampened resistance to French rule in east Asia, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and elsewhere. The 1958 constitution aimed to do just this. With the RDA leadership behind the new reform, the French seemed certain to maintain legal authority for their control of West Africa, until two African parties unexpectedly came out for a "No" vote: Sekou Toure's Guinean Democratic Party in Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
and Djibo Bakary and Sawaba.
The French authorities in Guinea failed to, despite much effort, to encourage or coerce a "yes" vote, and it became the first of the French African colonies to declare independence in December 1958. Sawaba, on the other hand, was roundly defeated, garnnering barely 20% of the vote. Its Hausa, Fulani and Djerma traditionalist leaders deserted the party and the French withdrew their support and began to aid the PPN, who had formed their own coalition to advocate for a "Yes" vote on the referendum. The vote was immediately followed by one for the new Nigerien Constituent Assembly which was to replace the Territorial Assembly under the French plan. The PPN not only won, but took 44 seats to Sawaba's 8.
With the ascension of Diori and the PPN, Sawaba was banned by the authorities in 1959, just prior to the first elections for the new National Assembly of Niger
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:...
. Niger did not have multiparty legislative elections again until 1993.
Underground 1960-1974
In June 1960, 18 sawabists were arrested on conspiracy charges, including Abdoulaye Mamani, Amadou Sekou and Issaka Koke. The party was forced underground. Bakary went into exile, to GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, East Germany and Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
until 1975.
Gradually Sawaba moved from a pro-Soviet to a pro-China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
position. On April 13, 1963, the party tried to kill president Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence.- Youth :...
with a grenade attack. Guerrilla forces were allegedly trained in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Ghana and China. In November 1964 the Sawaba guerrillas entered Niger attacking the small desert outpost of Tamanrasset, and after engaging in a high profile skirmish, were arrested. Both the government and Sawaba publicised this for their own ends. With the overthrow of Malian leader Modibo Keita
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
in 1968, and the eventual death of Chairman Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
in China, the party reoriented itself back to a pro-Soviet position.
1974-91
Following the 1974 coup which removed Diori, Bakary returned to Niger in an attempt to bring Sawaba above ground, but he, like his old rival, was confined to house arrest under the military regime in 1977, accused of breaking his pledge to say out of politics.1990s
Following the move to democratization in 1991-1993, Sawaba re-emerged as a left-wing parliamentary party. Bakary led the party, now called the UDFP-SAWABA. In 1992, the tiny party split further, with the UDFR-SAWABA moving to a center left position and from 1991 to 1996 becoming a minor member of the Alliance of the Forces of ChangeAlliance of the Forces of Change (Niger)
The Alliance of the Forces of Change was one of the two large political coalitions which contested for power in Niger from 1991 to 1996.-Formation:...
(AFC) coalition, ironically beside the reformation of its bitter enemy from the 1950s, the PPN-RDA. Djibo Bakary lead the UDFP-SAWABA faction into coalition with the rival 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...
coalition, until his death in 1998. In the 1993 presidential election, his party won only 1.68 percent of the vote, with the legislative candidates winning one seat.