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Niger – interviews
President accused of breaking his word in third term bid
Article published on the 2009-05-21 Latest update 2009-05-21 14:09 TU
Mamadou Tandja, president of Niger, in Niamey 27 March 2009.
(Photo: AFP)
Niger's President Mamadou Tandja has called a referendum to change the consitution and allow him to run for a third term of office. But Tandja has promised several times not to tamper with the text. The move has shocked opposition parties and some of Tandja's allies, as well.
“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 RFI’s French-language service. "Here, swearing on the Koran is the most serious gesture that a good Muslim could make.”
Tandja's two terms in power have been marked by several big mining deals with European companies to mine uranium – an essential ingredient in nuclear power generation.
These deals, he claims, will provide the backbone of a future prosperous economy. But, he argues, they will only succeed if he can stay in power for several more years.
But the 70-year-old President publicly promised that he would step down at the end of his second term on 22 December 2009, a pledge he repeated on 27 March when French President Nicolas Sarkozy was on hand to announce a new deal with French nuclear group Areva.
On 8 May government spokesperson Mohamed Ben Omar announced that there would be a referendum on the adoption of a new constitution, which would allow Tandja to run for a third term before the end of 2009.
Tandja and his allies say that he is not reforming the constitution but replacing it with an entirely new one.
This defence has drawn disbelief from within Tandja’s own camp, from opposition parties and from neighbouring governments, who accuse the President of playing with words and not living up to the spirit of his promises.
Adamou Moumouni Djermakoye, president of the High Court.
(Photo: AFP)
“I’m very uncomfortable criticising a friend, a brother-in-arms, but today, I understand that what my friend, President Mamadou Tandja, is proposing has many risks for this country,” High Court chief Djermakoye says.
In the Tandja's defence, Interior Minister Albadé Abouba says that people affected by his development projects lobbied the President to finish what he started.
“It wasn’t the President who thought of prolonging his term," Abouba told RFI. "It was during the ground-breaking ceremony at the Zinder refinery that the people of Zinder came out en masse. It was then that they told him that they wanted him to continue,”
Another worry surfaced on 16 May, when west African economic alliance Ecowas threatened sanctions which could lead to an all-out economic embargo if the referendum goes ahead. Ecowas says that the vote would break an agreement, signed by all members, not to attempt any constitutional reforms in the six months before an election.
Abouba's response was to tell his neighbours that “they should sweep their own porch before worrying about their neighbours”.
Niger's major opposition party, the PNDS, has even called for Tandja to stand trial for high treason after breaking his promises. But for the moment they have yet to start the process. Djermakoye says that he's uncomfortable with the idea, and waits to see what the PNDS will do.
The first round of the presidential election is slated for 14 November.
