Niger suspended from ECOWAS

  1. Posted on Wednesday 21 October 2009 - 09:00
    KingsleyKobo
    Image of KingsleyKobo
    Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Niger from the group after its president held controversial parliamentary elections on Tuesday despite boycotts from the opposition. The regional bloc said it "will not recognize the outcome of Tuesday's election in Niger."
    Tandja
    Voting began early on Tuesday in the uranium-rich West African desert nation to elect 113 members of parliament, which would constitute a new parliament after President Mamadou Tandja dissolved the former house in June for opposing to a referendum that would allow him have limitless terms in office.

    Opposition parties had called for a total boycott. It is not still clear whether the call was heeded by Nigeriens.

    An ECOWAS delegation led by Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf met Tandja on Sunday in an attempt to have him call off the election, but seemingly to no avail.

    In a statement released on Tuesday evening in Abuja, ECOWAS headquarters, the group said the election "signifies a rejection of the appeal for dialogue and consensus to resolve the deepening constitutional crisis in the country" and said it would suspend Niger "until constitutional legality is reinstated, AFP said.

    Elected for a five-year first term in 1999, Tandja was due to step down this year having exhausted his second term which began in 2004.

    Niger’s constitution allows only two terms for a president, but Tandja, to modify the fundamental law, dissolved both parliament and the Supreme Court in June and held a widely criticised referendum in August, which he won in a landslide.

    Tandja's critics allege he wants to stay on so his family and clan can benefit from the country's wealth.

    His supporters say he brought prosperity to the hitherto poor nation and therefore deserves more terms in office to realize his numerous development projects.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Algerians vote in parliamentary election10/05Polls have opened in Algeria for parliamentary elections which the authorities have billed as more free and transparent than ever before.
News archive