Niger - Political Parties
The government intermittently banned opposition political parties’ activities and limited their access to state media. Opposition parties and civil society groups criticized voter registration efforts, noting some citizens were not able to register and citing concerns about inflated registration figures in some regions.
Niger first held multiparty elections in 1993; international observers judged both the presidential and legislative elections free and fair. The fact that none of Niger’s political parties over the past twenty years has had a majority in the National Assembly has led to unstable governing coalitions incorporating opposition political coalitions based on sharing the spoils. As a result, ideological affinities were unimportant while political coalitions touched off political crises whenever these alliances broke down.
When Prime Minister Mohamadou Issoufou resigned in late 1994, a parliamentary majority opposed to President Mahamane emerged. The President dissolved the National Assembly and called new elections. The elections, held in January, were also judged free and fair by observers, and gave the opposition a three-seat majority, which increased following several defections late in the year. After failing to secure the Assembly's approval of a Prime Minister of his choice, the President named Hama Amadou, the opposition Movement for a National Development Society Party's secretary-general, to be Prime Minister. The continuing "cohabitation" between a directly elected President and a Prime Minister backed by a parliamentary coalition opposed to the President was difficult and was cited by the military as its major justification for overthrowing the Government in January 1996.
By late 2008 there was widespread speculation about President Tandja's political intentions to seek a third term through an amendment to the country's constitution, which limited the presidential office to two five-year terms. Various civil society groups have denounced and warned against any attempt to revise the constitution in order to extend limits in presidential terms.
A review of Niger's constitution and legal framework founds no support for an effort to extend a president's term of office. Article 36 of the constitution provides that the President is elected for a term of five years, and he can be re-elected once. Article 136 states that the provisions of Article 36 of the constitution shall not be subject to revision. Furthermore, Article 2, paragraph 4 of law 2004-46 of June 16, 2004, on the referendum process states, "no text relating to the provisions of Article 136 of the Constitution shall be subject to a referendum."
In a 12 July 2009 address on public media, President Tandja launched a campaign for the August 4 referendum on a new constitution. Concerning the provision for a three-year transitional period prior to the next presidential election, Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson Mohamed Ben Omar explained that "this translates the aspiration of the people, who have always demanded that the President of the Republic be accorded an additional three years to complete the national projects he has started."
On 10 July 2009, the 24 political parties that made up the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Republic (AFDR) - Niger's ruling coalition - issued a statement in which they expressed their determination "to strengthen and consolidate national unity, peace, stability, democracy, and progress that our country has experienced since the advent of Mamadou Tandja at the helm of Niger...(and) commitment to pursue the development actions and national construction work engaged in order to improve the living condition of Niger's hardworking population; and their determination to rigorously apply the principles of good governance in a State respectful of rights and popular will." The statement went on to say that, "despite some political turmoil, our Alliance has managed to keep its serenity and continues to express its loyalty to the President..." AFDR parties believed in the "re-foundation of the Republic" and call on all Nigerians to support President Tandja in this effort.
On 10 July 2009, the Front for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) also issued a statement to denounce President Tandja's attempt to bypass the legislative election that had been announced to take place on August 20. They complained that all political parties had tried in vain to submit their candidacies to regional administrative authorities, who had refused to take them "by President Tandja's orders." The FDD noted several alleged violations of the constitution that culminated in the illegal assumption of emergency powers to sidetrack any obstacles against a referendum that would allow President Tandja to remain in power.
A broad-based government was formed in August 2013. The ruling coalition, the “Movement for the Revival of the Republic/Mouvance pour la Renaissance de la République (MRN)" has a comfortable majority in the National Assembly, although political alliances are being re-formed. The situation remains precarious at the regional level, with potential or actual danger arising from the hybrid forces (identity-related and religious conflict and trafficking of all kinds).
In late 2015 and early 2016, authorities detained 13 members of the opposition MODEN-FA Lumana Party, including party head Hama Amadou. Hama and eight other members subsequently were granted provisional release, but four still awaited trial on charges of assisting a purported planned coup in December 2015. Authorities generally granted the ICRC, the CNDH, and human rights groups access to political prisoners, and these groups conducted visits during the year.
On 12 November 2015 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), officially launched its newParticipatory, Responsive Governance project as well as two other electoral activities today in Niamey in collaboration with several partners including: the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), Creative Associates, and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). This project, which includes four new activities, is a five-year, U.S. $20 million initiative to improve the responsiveness of the Nigerien government and its citizens in order to increase citizen confidence in the state. The project will focus on promoting a more open and accessible government that meets the needs of its people, as well as on supporting a peaceful and inclusive election process in Niger.
Project activities will promote a better understanding of how the Nigerien government, civil society, and political actors respond to the Nigerien public’s service needs and improve government and citizen responsiveness to public needs in order to increase citizen confidence in government institutions. An important element of the project is a pre- and post-electoral program implemented by NDI and IRI. This program is supporting political parties to include citizens’ priorities in their political messages, promote the active participation of women and youth in the electoral process and create conditions for peaceful and inclusive presidential, legislative and local elections. The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of local civil society and private organizations that seek to ensure that the needs of Nigerien citizens are being addressed. The project will focus specifically on supporting the inclusion of women and youth in the political and electoral processes.
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