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Niger starts voting in presidential, parliamentary elections

Sunday, 21 February 2016 3:04 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 21 February 2016 3:03 PM ]

A man casts his vote at a polling station in Niger’s capital of Niamey during presidential and legislative elections, February 21, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

People in Niger have started casting ballots in presidential and parliamentary elections, amid political tensions.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (07:00 GMT) on Sunday, with over 7.5 million people eligible to vote in over 25,000 polling stations for both a president and members of the parliament.

In the presidential election, incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou is running for a second 5-year term, competing with 14 other opponents.

Issoufou’s most serious rivals are former prime ministers Seyni Oumarou and Hama Amadou, the latter of whom is campaigning even as he is languishing behind bars.

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou (photo by AFP)

“Niger needs strong democratic institutions. I hope that the presidential and legislative elections will permit us to reinforce our institutions,” Issoufou said while casting his ballot at the city hall in the country’s capital, Niamey.

Around 5,200 candidates are also vying for 171 legislative seats on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the opposition has accused Issoufou of repression in the run-up to the vote by arresting opposition leaders, including Amadou.

Since November, Amadou has been detained on alleged charges of baby-trafficking from neighboring Nigeria, a charge he has adamantly dismissed as politically motivated.

Hama Amadou, Niger’s former premier and parliament speaker (photo by AFP)

“These are not free and fair elections. We have one presidential candidate in prison who has not been able to campaign... The president has manipulated the electorate and used repression,” said a supporter of Amadou.

Issoufou, if re-elected, has pledged to boost the economy, modernize the defense forces and eradicate terrorist groups, including the Nigeria-based Takfiri Boko Haram militants operating in Niger’s southeastern regions.

The results of the elections are expected within five days, and in order for a run-off to be avoided, a candidate should secure more than 50 percent of the votes.

Issoufou has expressed confidence that he will win outright. “We will beat them, our adversaries, and with a knock-out blow that will be a historical milestone, since it will be the first time that a candidate will win in the first round,” he has said.

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