Niger’s presidential election is headed to a runoff ballot in February after the nation’s ruling get together candidate didn’t safe sufficient votes within the first spherical.
Mohamed Bazoum, a former head of Niger’s inside and international ministries, led the primary spherical with 39.33% of the vote, in response to provisional outcomes introduced by the nation’s electoral fee on Saturday. That falls wanting the 50% he wanted to win the presidency outright.
Bazoum, an ally of President Mahamadou Issoufou, will sq. off towards former president Mahamane Ousmane within the runoff. Ousmane collected 17% of the vote within the first spherical.
The runoff vote seems set for February 21 as soon as the outcomes of the primary spherical have been validated by the constitutional courtroom.
Peaceful switch of energy in Niger?
The second spherical comes as Niger makes an attempt its first democratic transition of energy in its historical past. The nation has seen 4 coups happen since gaining independence from France in 1960.
Issoufou introduced final yr that he would step apart after serving two five-year phrases. He was elected to the presidency in 2011 after a army coup ousted his successor, Mamadou Tandja, in February 2010.
In a New Year radio handle, Issoufou hailed the presidential election as “a new, successful page in our country’s democratic history.”
The first spherical of voting passed off with polling stations on excessive alert after a sequence of jihadist assaults.
Who are the candidates?
Bazoum, who turned 61 on Friday, has served as president of the ruling PNDS-Tarayya get together since 2011.
He is an in depth ally of Issoufou, serving in each of the president’s administrations first as international minister after which as inside minister.
Ousmane, 70, was Niger’s fourth president, holding the workplace from 1993 till a army coup in 1996. He is the president of Niger’s predominant opposition CDS get together.
