· Mohamed Bazoum, presidential candidate of Niger’s ruling party who led the first round with 39.33% of the vote has fallen short of the 50% he needed to win the presidency.
· The runoff vote is expected to take place on February 21 once the results of the first round have been validated by the constitutional court.
According to provisional results announced by Niger’s electoral commission, Mohamed Bazoum, presidential candidate of Niger’s ruling party who led the first round with 39.33% of the vote has fallen short of the 50% he needed to win the presidency. The runoff vote is expected to take place on February 21 once the results of the first round have been validated by the constitutional court. The second round comes as Niger attempts its first democratic transition of power in its history.
Niger gained independence from France60 years ago. Since then the country has seen four coups. President Mahamadou was elected to the presidency in 2011 after a military coup ousted his successor, Mamadou Tandja, in February 2010. After completing two five-year terms, Issoufou announced his decision last year to step down.
The first round of voting took place with polling stations under high security after a series of jihadist attacks. The candidates who are running for the presidency are Bazoum, 61, president of the ruling PNDS-Tarayya party since 2011 and former foreign minister and interior minister, and Ousmane, 70, Niger’s fourth president, from 1993 to 1996. He is the president of Niger’s main opposition CDS party.
