Niger
Motion of no confidence withdrawn in Niger

afrol News, 3 November - On 27 October, the Nigerien opposition had tabled a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Hama Amadou's government, accusing it of "misrule" and corruption. The motion was however withdrawn on Tuesday "in the higher interests of the nation." 

The opposition had accused the government of "misrule," "misappropriation of scarce resources," and the granting of public contracts in a manner that was "in breach of the legislation in force" and indicting the government for "setting up a totalitarian regime," PANA reported, quoting parliamentary sources.

In an interview with the Nigerien weekly 'Le Républicain', opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou explained that the motion had been withdrawn after President Mamadou Tandja had intervened. Tandja had criticised the bad timing of the motion, as ongoing economic negotiations with the European Union and the World Bank demanded political stability in the country. 

Issoufou stated the motion thus had been withdrawn in the higher interests of the nation. However, he stressed, the Prime Minister "does not enjoy the confidence of an increasing majority of the deputies." Therefore, the "struggle continues" and it would be likely that a new motion would be presented within short time.

Prime Minister Hama Amadou, for his part, was calm about the opposition's moves to have him removed. In an interview with the local radio station ANFANI, he said, "This is normal. This is democracy." If the opposition should succeed, he however warned them, "I can be even more harmful when not being a Prime Minister."

According to 'Kakaki', this was the third time that the opposition has brought a motion of no confidence against the government since the current Assembly took office in January 2000. The two previous motions were defeated on straight party line votes, Joel Mayer of 'Kakaki' recalls.

After the restoration of democracy in Niger, beginning in 1999, the country has developed close ties with the European Union. The EU has been supporting Niger in its effort to promote economic and social development since the transition process towards democracy started. With the country's bettered human rights situation, the EU currently is negotiating with Niger about increased financial support.

Background
The Nigerien process of establishing and consolidating a democratic system and a constitutional government followed a period of instability during the last democratic government and coups d'état in 1996 and 1999. An April 1999 coup led to the installation of a military-led government, which instituted a 9-month transition to a democracy. 

A July 1999 referendum approved a new Constitution that provided for a power sharing-presidential system and granted amnesty to perpetrators of the 1996 and 1999 coups. The first round of presidential elections took place in October 1999, and presidential runoff and legislative elections were held in November 1999. 

Tandja Mamadou was elected president with 60 percent of the vote in an election that international observers called free and fair. The National Movement for the Development of Society and the Democratic and Socialist Convention (MNSD/CDS) coalition, which backed Tandja, won 55 of the 83 seats in the National Assembly. In January 2000, Tandja appointed MNSD member Hama Amadou as Prime Minister.

Sources: Press reports, US govt. and afrol archives

© afrol.com. Texts and graphics may be reproduced freely, under the condition that their origin is clearly referred to, see Conditions.    You can contact us at mail@afrol.com