Elections to the presidency and parliament of the Republic of Niger are scheduled to hold on the 27th December 2020. This is the first time the country will see a democratic transition of power since its independence in 1960. The incumbent, President Mahamadou Issoufou, is not standing for reelection as he has already served two terms, a rare event in African politics. Especially this year when many African leaders circumvented their term limits to stay in power.
Issues to Consider
The country is caught up in a militant insurgency by extremists from Mali in the southwest of the country and Nigeria, southwest of the country’s border and where Boko Haram is largely domiciled. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of many Nigeriens and displaced thousands. Last week, seven soldiers and four suspected jihadists were killed during an exchange of gunfire in Niger’s Tillabéri region, where men of the Niger Armed Forces (FAN) were ambushed by heavily armed terrorists. Niger is also one of the poorest countries in the world according to the UN, a situation that has been exacerbated by the climate crisis and a raging insurgency.
Who Will Be Contesting?
The Constitutional Court validated 30 candidates out of the 41 who showed interest in running for the elections on Sunday. No female candidate applied for the post. Some of the candidates include Bazoum, a political veteran and former interior minister who Issoufou’s handpicked successor. Hama Amadou who would have been a prominent opposition figure was last month barred from contesting dues to criminal charges against him in 2017. He was granted presidential pardon while serving sentence in March 2019, but will not be allowed to run for office.
Other candidates include former Prime Minister, Seini Oumarou of the National Movement for Social Development (MNSD), Boubacar Cissé of the Union for Democracy and Republic (Udr Tabbat), former president Mahamane Ousmane who was overthrown in a coup and who will be contesting under the Renewed Democratic and Republican Party (Renouveau Démocratique et Républicain), and Ibrahim Yacouba of the of the Patriotic Movement of Niger (MPN.
