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· The presidential and parliamentary elections in Niger took place yesterday (Sunday)
· Close to 7.4 million people are eligible to vote and how many of them would exercise franchise is not known
The presidential and parliamentary elections in Niger took place yesterday (Sunday). Close to 7.4 million people are eligible to vote and how many of them would exercise franchise is not known.
Thirty candidates are contesting for the presidential election. Analysts say that the citizens are not very enthused by the election. Niger has got a young population. But the age of most of the candidates in the fray is more than 60 years. Visibly, there is a demographic disconnect between the governed and ruled. which is arousing “little enthusiasm” from the population, according to a connoisseur of Nigerien politics.Mohamed Bazoum, close confidante of outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou is the favorite to win. The former Minister of the Interior, in the age group of 60 plus is aiming for a victory in the first round. Rhis has never been the case earlier.
Bazoum has promised to focus on security and education, especially for young girls. At 7.6 children per woman, Niger has the world’s highest fertility rate. On the security front, two deadly attacks occurred in the run-up to the elections, such as one in the west , where 7 soldiers were killed on December 21 and the other in the east claimed by Boko Haram , where 34 dead on December 12.
