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Niger referendum
Voters decide if Tandja can run for third term
Article published on the 2009-08-04 Latest update 2009-08-04 14:57 TU
Police and soldiers vote in the referendum on 3 August 2009 in Niamey
(Photo: AFP)
The electorate in Niger goes to the polls on Tuesday to determine whether a change to the constitution can be passed, which will determine whether President Mamadou Tandja can stay in power indefinitely. The 71-year-old former army colonel has been in power since 1999.
Around six million people are eligible to vote in Niger and around 19,000 polling stations opened early on Tuesday morning.
The referendum will determine whether Tandja must leave office at the end of his second five-year term at the end of December, or whether he can stay in power.
Meanwhile, Tandja dissolved both parliament and the constitutional court in order to hold the referendum. And if he wins a majority in the vote he can stay in office for another three years, before being able to stand in subsequent elections.
The opposition has likened Tandja’s action to a coup d’etat, while France, the African Union and UN have all asked Tandja to abandon the vote. Demonstrations against the referendum were declared illegal last month.
“Even the court declared it illegal, for all these reasons we are not going to vote tomorrow. According to the information we get, they have already declared their percentage,” trade union member Mustapha Abubakar told RFI from Niamey on Monday.
The EU has frozen aid to the country, describing the referendum as “grave violations of core democratic values and the principles of the rule of law.”
Soldiers and police cast their ballots on Monday so they would be available to maintain security if necessary.
 Changing the constitution to remain in power |
