(3 minutes read)
· Niger has to go for a runoff to elect its president in the wake of a ruling pronounced by the Country’s Constitutional Court
· The constitutional body has confirmed that a second round of the presidential election is to be held on February 21 since no candidate had obtained an absolute majority of votes in the first round
· The court did not agree with the annulment, partial or total cancellation of the election verdict as sought by opposition candidates.
Niger has to go for a runoff to elect its president in the wake of a ruling pronounced by the Country’s Constitutional Court. The constitutional body has confirmed that a second round of the presidential election is to be held on February 21 since no candidate had obtained an absolute majority of votes in the first round. However, the court did not agree with the annulment, partial or total cancellation of the election verdict as sought by opposition candidates. This would mean that Mohamed Bazoum and Mahamane Ousmane will be the candidates in the second round of the presidential elections .Mohamed Bazoum had bagged 39.3% of the total 5.1 million votes followed by ex-president Mahamane Ousmane at 16.98%.
Bazoum and Ousmane will contest in the second round of engagement. They will hold negotiations with 28 other candidates who were in the fray in the first round of presidential contest. Eighteen opposition parties including that of Ousmane called the failed candidates in the first round to join the candidacy of the former president.
Ten other unsuccessful candidates in the first round including former president Salou Djibo have formed a second alliance, the Alliance of Candidates for Change (ACC), offering their support in the second round “to any interested candidate”, in return for power-sharing afterwards. The cumulated score of the ACC candidates does not exceed 10%.
