afrol News, 21 May - President Mamadou Tandja of Niger is planning for a referendum over a constitutional amendment that would allow him to run candidate for a third presidential term in elections on 14 November. Many Nigeriens are shocked, saying he "swore on the Koran" to step down in December this year.

Already in January, Niger set the December deadline for the holding of general elections. Prime Minister Seini Oumarou said the vote for the local government would be held on 30 June and the national and presidential elections were to follow in November.

But at the same time, political unrest evolved in the poor Sahelian country as President Tandja tried to move the Niamey parliament to change current legislation to allow for a third presidential term. According to current legislation, Mr Tandja is not eligible and must step down from the Nigerien presidency on 22 December this year.

But the 70-year-old President's attempt at getting parliamentary approval of his third term failed, amid widespread protests from his political colleagues.

On 8 May, President Tandja again took Nigeriens by surprise when his government spokesperson Mohamed Ben Omar announced that there would be a referendum regarding a totally reformed constitution. The new constitution would also allow him to seek a third presidential term.

The President's plan, but also his arguments - widely seen as arrogant - have caused broad rejection within Niger's political establishment. Mr Tandja argues that, with the foundation he has laid for Niger's economic development, he needs to follow up on the process to assure no mistakes are made and to secure maximum benefit from initiated programmes. Nobody else could lead the country better than him right now, he basically says.

But not only Mr Tandja's plan to stay onto power provokes Nigeriens. The President is widely accused of outrightly lying to the people. At several occasions, even this year, Mr Tandja has said he will definitively step down in December.

"He swore on the Koran that he would absolutely respect the constitution and to assure that it was respected by others," High Court President Adamou Moumouni Djermakoye told the French radio broadcaster 'RFI'. "Here, swearing on the Koran is the most serious gesture that a good Muslim could make," the outraged court leader added.

Also in international forums, President Tandja has made it clear he will not seek a third term. According to the French press, President Tandja during a 27 March meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Niger pledged he would step down on on 22 December this year.

If not halted by the Nigerien opposition or in the planned referendum, President Tandja could even be stopped by his international obligations. According to 'RFI', the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has already threatened Niger with strong economic sanctions should the referendum be organised.

According to the ECOWAS treaty, to which Niger is party, any attempts to change a member country's constitution cannot be carried out less than six months before an election. The 14 November polls are now only five and a half month away, and ECOWAS thus would be obliged to impose sanctions against Niger.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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