Nigerien presidential election, 1999
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A presidential election was held in Niger in late 1999, with the first round on October 17 and a second round, coinciding with a parliamentary election, on November 24. This election followed a coup d'état on April 9, 1999, in which Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, who had led an earlier coup in January 1996 and won a disputed presidential election in July 1996, was assassinated. Coup leader Daouda Mallam Wanké initiated a transitional period that concluded with the victory of Tandja Mamadou, the candidate of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD), over Mahamadou Issoufou, the candidate of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), in the November run-off.[1]
Following the April 1999 coup, Wanké called for new presidential and parliamentary elections late in the year and barred the participation of candidates from the military. A referendum on a new constitution was held on July 18 and was approved; it was promulgated on August 9.[1] Eight candidates sought to run in the presidential election, including two rival candidates from the Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a (RDP), which had been the ruling party under Maïnassara: Hamid Algabid and Amadou Cissé. It was left to the Court of State to decide whether of these two candidates could run.[2] On September 3, the Court released its list of approved candidates; seven were approved, including Algabid, while Cissé's candidacy was rejected.[1]
Following the election on October 17, provisional results were announced on October 19, showing Tandja Mamadou of the MNSD in first place with 32.3% of the vote, followed by Mahamadou Issoufou of the PNSD in second place with 22.8%. Issoufou was only ahead of third place candidate Mahamane Ousmane of the Democratic and Social Convention (CDS), who received 22.5%, by about 5,000 votes. RDP candidate Algabid took fourth place with 10.9%, followed by Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye of the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP) with 7.7%, André Salifou of the Union of Democratic Patriots and Progressives (UPDP) with 2.1%, and Amadou Ali Djibo of the Union of Independent Nigeriens (UNI) with 1.7%. Final results of the first round were confirmed by the Court of State on October 30.[1]
Tandja and Issoufou, who proceeded to the second round, met with Wanké on October 22. The losing candidates from the first round began endorsing one of the two second round candidates: Djermakoye announced his support for Issoufou on November 4, Ousmane announced his support for Tandja on November 5, and Algabid and Djibo announced their support for Issoufou on November 6 (although some members of the RDP objected to Algabid's support for Issoufou and backed Tandja instead on November 7).[1]
Following the second round, held on November 24, provisional results were announced early on November 27: Tandja won 1,060,295 votes (59.90%), while Issoufou won 709,945 votes (40.10%). Issoufou accepted the results and congratulated Tandja. On December 7, final results were confirmed by the Court of State:[1] 1,061,731 votes for Tandja (59.89%) and 710,923 for Issoufou (40.11%).[1][3] Voter turnout in the second round was placed at 39.4%.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g "RAPPORT DE LA MISSION D’OBSERVATION DES ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES ET LEGISLATIVES DES 17 OCTOBRE ET 24 NOVEMBRE 1999", democratie.francophonie.org (French).
- ^ "NIGER: Eight register for November presidential poll", IRIN, August 30, 1999.
- ^ a b Elections in Niger, African Elections Database.
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