Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye

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Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye (born May 22, 1939^[1]) is a Nigerien politician and the President of the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP-Zaman Lahiya). He has been a candidate for the Presidency of Niger four times.

Djermakoye was an important figure in the regime of Seyni Kountché following the latter's seizure of power in April 1974. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation from April 22, 1974 to September 10, 1979.^[2] On the latter date, he was named Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture,^[2][3] in which position he served until he was named Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs on August 31, 1981.^[2][4] He remained in the latter position until January 24, 1983.^[2] In May 1988 he was named Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the United Nations.^[5] He presented his credentials as Ambassador to the United States on September 19, 1988,^[6] serving in that post until mid-1991.^[7]

In 1991, Djermakoye was defeated by Tandja Mamadou in a bid to become leader of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD). This struggle was marked by a question of ethnicity: Djermakoye, a member the dominant ethnic group in the party, the Djerma (Zarma), lost to Tandja, who was not. After this, he formed a group called the Club of Moumouni Adamou Djermokoye's Friends (CAMAD), which later became the ANDP.^[8] Standing as the ANDP candidate in the first round of the 1993 presidential election, held in February, Djermakoye received fourth place with 15.24% of the vote.^[9] As part of a coalition called the Alliance of the Forces of Change, Djermakoye backed Mahamane Ousmane of the Democratic and Social Convention (CDS) in the second round of the election against Tandja of the MNSD, and Ousmane was victorious.^[8] In the February 1993 parliamentary election, the ANDP won 11 out of 83 seats in the National Assembly,^[8][9] performing well among the Zarma;^[8] Djermakoye himself was elected to the National Assembly^[10] as an ANDP candidate in Dosso constituency.^[11] On April 13, 1993, Djermakoye was elected as President of the National Assembly. The MNSD opposed the vote in which Djermakoye was elected, calling it unconstitutional and refusing to participate in it.^[12][13] Following an appeal by the opposition, the Supreme Court annulled Djermakoye's election as National Assembly President on April 23,^[14] but the National Assembly elected Djermakoye again in May.^[13] He remained President of the National Assembly until October 1994, when it was dissolved ahead of a new parliamentary election.

After the military, led by Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, seized power in January 1996,^[8] a new presidential election was held in July 1996, in which Djermakoye took fifth place with 4.77% of the vote.^[9] On the second day of the election, which was won by Maïnassara, Djermakoye was placed under house arrest along with the three other opposition candidates, where he remained for two weeks.^[15] After Maïnassara's victory, Djermakoye and the ANDP recognized it and supported him,^[16][17] but on April 28, 1998 he announced that the ANDP was breaking with Maïnassara's Rally for Democracy and Progress, alleging that Maïnassara had "humiliated and marginalised" the party.^[17]

Following another coup in April 1999, Djermakoye was made President of the National Consultative Council during the transitional period prior to new elections.^[18] In August, he was chosen by the ANDP to run again as its candidate in the October 1999 presidential election.^[19] In the election, Djermakoye received fifth place with 7.73% of the vote.^[9] On November 4, he announced his support for Mahamadou Issoufou, the candidate of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, in the second round of voting. Issoufou lost the second round to Tandja.^[20] Djermakoye was elected to the National Assembly in the November 1999 parliamentary election from Dosso constituency;^[21] he was one of four ANDP candidates to win seats in the election.^[22]

In July 2002, the ANDP joined the Alliance of Democratic Forces, the ruling coalition, which includes the MNSD, withdrawing from the opposition Coordination of Democratic Forces to which it had previously belonged.^[23] On November 8, 2002, Djermakoye was named Minister of State for African Integration and NEPAD Programs; he served in this position until resigning from the government in November 2004 due to his participation in the elections that were about to be held.^[24] On September 19, 2004 he had been again chosen as the ANDP presidential candidate, saying that he did not intend to run again in the 2009 presidential election.^[25] In the November 2004 presidential election, he again took fifth place with 6.07% of the vote.^[9][26] Shortly before the first round of the election, Djermakoye said that he would support Tandja in the second round.^[27] In the December 2004 parliamentary election, Djermakoye was re-elected to the National Assembly from Dosso constituency.^[28]

On May 24, 2005, Djermakoye was elected President of the High Court of Justice.^[29] On November 14, 2006, Djermakoye was defeated by Ousmane in an election for the position of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. Djermakoye took 37 votes against 58 for Ousmane.^[30]

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