Niger: Ruling party wins parliamentary vote

  1. Posted on Monday 26 October 2009 - 09:00
    KingsleyKobo
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    Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
    The governing party in Niger, MNSD, has won a majority of seats in the parliamentary elections boycotted by the opposition and criticized by the international community. According to final results released by the electoral commission on Saturday, Tandja's allies won 76 of the 113 seats in Parliament.
    niger map
    The vote was held last week amid calls from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to have it postponed in order for the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition.

    The former parliament was dissolved by Tandja because it opposed to his plans to change the constitution and stay much longer in power.

    In reaction, Niger’s membership of ECOWAS has been suspended, and the country faces a possible freeze of development aid from the European Union.

    The government maintains it is not undermining democracy as being alleged by the opposition and Tandja says he needs more time and broader powers to oversee multibillion-dollar contracts for mining and other projects in Niger in order to consolidate the prosperity he has generated in one of the world’s poorest countries.

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