Niger: Parliamentary polls hold amid boycott

  1. Posted on Tuesday 20 October 2009 - 09:00
    KingsleyKobo
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    Kinsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
    Amid calls for a boycott from the opposition and visible threat of further sanction by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Niger's government proceeded with its parliamentary elections. Police and soldiers were seen voting on Monday, a day ahead of the rest of the population.
    Tandja
    "The defence and security forces are currently voting all over Niger, the better to ensure the safety of voters tomorrow (Tuesday)," electoral commission chairman, Moumouni Hamidou told reporters in Niamey (capital), AFP said.

    Opposition parties have called for a boycott of the polls, which are to replace a parliament President Tandja Mamadou dissolved in June, two months before he staged a referendum to prolong his mandate.

    By midday, state radio said the vote was underway across the largely arid sub-Saharan nation "without incident".

    On Tuesday, six million Nigeriens will be called out to elect 113 members of parliament.

    ECOWAS on Saturday urged Tandja to postpone the vote and engage in a meaningful dialogue with his opponents.

    On Sunday, an ECOWAS delegation led by Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf met Tandja in Niamey in an attempt to have him call off the election.

    Tandja Mamadou has ruled the uranium-rich nation for 10 years and was due to step down this year because the country’s original constitution allowed only two five-year terms.

    But after scrapping parliament and the Supreme Court, Tandja held a widely criticized referendum on August 4, which he won in a landslide, giving him the free hand to change the constitution and remain in power as long as he wishes.

    His supporters say he brought prosperity to Niger and therefore deserves more terms to complete his numerous development projects.

    "The process is irreversible, nothing can stop it," Niger's government spokesman and communications minister, Kassoum Moctar said Monday. He urged "all citizens of age to exercise their sovereign right to vote."

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