Mahamadou Issoufou
Encyclopedia
Mahamadou Issoufou is a Niger
ien politician who has been President of Niger since 7 April 2011. Previously he was Prime Minister of Niger
from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and he has stood as a candidate in each presidential election since 1993.
Issoufou led the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
(PNDS-Tarayya), a social democratic party, from its foundation in 1990 until his election as President of Niger in 2011. During the Presidency of Mamadou Tandja (1999–2010), Issoufou was the main opposition leader.
, was born in the town of Dandaji in Tahoua Department
. An engineer by trade, he served as National Director of Mines from 1980 to 1985 before becoming Secretary-General of the Mining Company of Niger (SOMAIR). He is married to Aïssata Issoufou, and to second wife Dr Malika Issoufou Mahamadou.
, Issoufou's party, the PNDS, won 13 seats in the National Assembly
, and Issoufou himself won a seat as a PNDS candidate in Tahoua constituency.
Together with other opposition parties, the PNDS then joined a coalition, the Alliance of the Forces of Change
(AFC). This coalition held the majority of the newly elected seats in the National Assembly. Later in February 1993, Issoufou ran as the PNDS candidate in the presidential election
. He placed third, winning 15.92% of the vote. The AFC then supported second-place finisher Mahamane Ousmane
for president in the second round of the election, held on March 27. Ousmane won the election, defeating Tandja Mamadou
, the candidate of the National Movement of the Development Society (MNSD); with the AFC holding a parliamentary majority, Issoufou became Prime Minister on 17 April 1993.
to be held in January 1995. Issoufou and the PNDS forged an alliance with their old opponents, the MNSD, and in the January 1995 election that alliance won a slight majority of seats; Issoufou was then elected as President of the National Assembly. The opposition's victory in the election led to cohabitation
between President Ousmane and a government, backed by a parliamentary majority, that opposed him; the result was political deadlock. With the dispute between President Ousmane and the government deepening, on 26 January 1996 Issoufou requested that the Supreme Court remove Ousmane from office for alleged incapacity to govern. A day later, on 27 January 1996, Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
seized power in a military coup. Issoufou, along with President Ousmane and Prime Minister Hama Amadou
, was arrested and subsequently placed under house arrest until April 1996. They were all put on television by the military regime in February 1996 to endorse the official view that the coup was caused by flaws in the political system and that changes in the system were needed.
Issoufou placed fourth (receiving only 7.60% of the vote) in the flawed and controversial 7–8 July 1996 presidential election
that gave Maïnassara an outright victory. Along with the three other opposition candidates, Issoufou was placed under house arrest on the second day of polling and held for two weeks. Afterward, he refused to meet with Maïnassara, unsuccessfully appealed to the Supreme Court for the election to be annulled, and the PNDS called for demonstrations. On July 26, he was again placed under house arrest, along with another leading PNDS member, Mohamed Bazoum
; they were freed on the order of a judge on 12 August. Following a pro-democracy demonstration on 11 January 1997, Issoufou was arrested along with Ousmane and Tandja and held until 23 January.
, held in October, Issoufou placed second, winning 22.79% of the vote. He was later defeated by Tandja Mamadou in the November run-off, capturing 40.11% of the vote compared to Tandja's 59.89%. He was backed in the second round by the unsuccessful first round candidates Hamid Algabid
, Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye
, and Ali Djibo, while Tandja received Ousmane's support. After the announcement of the provisional results showing Tandja's victory, Issoufou accepted them and congratulated Tandja.
In the November 1999 parliamentary election
, Issoufou was again elected to the National Assembly as a PNDS candidate in Tahoua constituency.
In a repeat of the 1999 election, Issoufou placed second behind incumbent Tandja in the 2004 presidential election
, winning 24.60% of the vote. He was defeated in the run-off, winning 34.47% of the vote to Tandja's 65.53%; however, that was still considered an impressive result for Issoufou, as he had substantially increased his share of the vote even though the other first round candidates had backed Tandja in the second round. Issoufou, who targeted corruption in his campaign, accused Tandja of using state funds for his own campaign, along with other accusations of electoral misconduct, and said that the election was not as transparent as the 1999 election.
In the December 2004 parliamentary election
, Issoufou was re-elected to the National Assembly as a PNDS candidate in Tahoua constituency.
that would allow him to run for re-election indefinitely. At an opposition rally in Niamey on 9 May 2009, Issoufou accused Tandja of seeking "a new constitution to stay in power for ever" and the establishment of "a dictatorship and a monarchy". As leader of the Front for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) opposition coalition, he said on 4 June 2009 that a planned anti-referendum protest would be held on 7 June despite an official ban.
As part of the constitutional dispute
, Tandja assumed emergency powers on 27 June. Accusing Tandja of undertaking a coup d'état, "violating the constitution and ... forfeit[ing] all political and moral legitimacy", Issoufou called on the armed forces to ignore his orders and urged the international community to intervene. Issoufou was detained at his home by the army's paramilitary police on 30 June; he was questioned and released after about an hour. A nationwide strike called by the FDD was held on 1 July and was deemed partially successful by the press.
The referendum was held on 4 August 2009, despite the opposition's furious objections and calls for a boycott, and it was successful. Speaking on 8 August, shortly after the announcement of results, Issoufou vowed that the opposition would "resist and fight against this coup d'etat enacted by President Tandja and against his aim of installing a dictatorship in our country".
On 14 September 2009, Issoufou was charged with misappropriation of funds and then released on bail. He said that he was actually charged for political reasons. Subsequently he left the country. On 29 October 2009, international warrants for the arrest of Issoufou and Hama Amadou were issued by the Nigerien government, and Issoufou returned to Niamey from Nigeria
late on 30 October in order "to cooperate with the judiciary".
Tandja was ousted in a February 2010 military coup
, and a new transitional junta
enabled the opposition leaders to return to politics in Niger while preparing for elections in 2011. The PNDS designated Issoufou as the party's candidate for the January 2011 presidential election
at a meeting in early November 2010. Issoufou said on the occasion that "the moment has come, the conditions are right", and he called on party members to "turn these conditions into votes at the ballot box". Some observers considered Issoufou to be potentially the strongest candidate in the election.
. He was inaugurated as president on 7 April 2011 and succeeded Salou Djibo
who was in power as Chairperson of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy since 19 February 2010. He named Brigi Rafini
as Prime Minister. In July 2011, a planned assassination of Issoufou was uncovered. A major, lieutenant, and three other soldiers in Niger's military were arrested.
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
ien politician who has been President of Niger since 7 April 2011. Previously he was Prime Minister of Niger
Heads of government of Niger
-List of Heads of Government of Niger:-Affiliations:-See also:*Niger*List of colonial heads of Niger*Heads of State of Niger*Lists of Incumbents-References:*...
from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and he has stood as a candidate in each presidential election since 1993.
Issoufou led the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism is a political party in Niger. It is a broadly left-wing party, part of the Socialist International; since 2011 it has been in power following the election of its long-time leader, Mahamadou Issoufou, as President of Niger. Mohamed Bazoum is Acting...
(PNDS-Tarayya), a social democratic party, from its foundation in 1990 until his election as President of Niger in 2011. During the Presidency of Mamadou Tandja (1999–2010), Issoufou was the main opposition leader.
Background
Issoufou, an ethnic HausaHausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
, was born in the town of Dandaji in Tahoua Department
Tahoua (department)
Tahoua is one of eight administrative Regions in Niger. The capital of the Region is the Commune of Tahoua. The Region covers 106,677 km². The Governor of Tahoua Region is Elhadj Mahamadou Zéti Maiga...
. An engineer by trade, he served as National Director of Mines from 1980 to 1985 before becoming Secretary-General of the Mining Company of Niger (SOMAIR). He is married to Aïssata Issoufou, and to second wife Dr Malika Issoufou Mahamadou.
1993 presidential election and appointment as Prime Minister
In February 1993, the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. In the parliamentary electionNigerien parliamentary election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in Niger on 14 February 1993. They followed the constitutional changes approved in a referendum the previous year, which re-introduced multi-party democracy...
, Issoufou's party, the PNDS, won 13 seats in the National Assembly
National Assembly of Niger
The unicameral National Assembly of Niger is the country's sole legislative body. The National Assembly may propose laws and is required to approve all legislation.-History:...
, and Issoufou himself won a seat as a PNDS candidate in Tahoua constituency.
Together with other opposition parties, the PNDS then joined a coalition, the Alliance of the Forces of Change
Alliance of the Forces of Change (Niger)
The Alliance of the Forces of Change was one of the two large political coalitions which contested for power in Niger from 1991 to 1996.-Formation:...
(AFC). This coalition held the majority of the newly elected seats in the National Assembly. Later in February 1993, Issoufou ran as the PNDS candidate in the presidential election
Nigerien presidential election, 1993
Presidential elections were held in Niger on 28 February 1993, with a second round on 28 March after no candidate passed the 50% barrier in the first round. They followed the constitutional changes approved in a referendum the previous year, which re-introduced multi-party democracy, and were the...
. He placed third, winning 15.92% of the vote. The AFC then supported second-place finisher Mahamane Ousmane
Mahamane Ousmane
Mahamane Ousmane is a Nigerien politician. He was the first democratically elected and fourth President of Niger, serving from 16 April 1993 until his ouster in a military coup d'état on 27 January 1996. He has continued to run for President in each election since his ouster, and he was President...
for president in the second round of the election, held on March 27. Ousmane won the election, defeating Tandja Mamadou
Tandja Mamadou
Lieutenant Colonel Mamadou Tandja is a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement of the Development Society from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNSD's presidential candidate in 1993 and 1996 before being elected to his...
, the candidate of the National Movement of the Development Society (MNSD); with the AFC holding a parliamentary majority, Issoufou became Prime Minister on 17 April 1993.
Conflict, cohabitation, and arrest: 1994–1999
On 28 September 1994, Issoufou resigned in response to a decree from Ousmane a week earlier that weakened the powers of the prime minister, and the PNDS withdrew from the governing coalition. As a result, the coalition lost its parliamentary majority and Ousmane called a new parliamentary electionNigerien parliamentary election, 1995
A parliamentary election was held in Niger on 12 January 1995. The last election of the Third Republic of Niger, they were called following a split in the ruling coalition, but resulted in a government divided between the party of the President and an opposition coalition holding the National...
to be held in January 1995. Issoufou and the PNDS forged an alliance with their old opponents, the MNSD, and in the January 1995 election that alliance won a slight majority of seats; Issoufou was then elected as President of the National Assembly. The opposition's victory in the election led to cohabitation
Cohabitation (government)
Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier that will be acceptable to the...
between President Ousmane and a government, backed by a parliamentary majority, that opposed him; the result was political deadlock. With the dispute between President Ousmane and the government deepening, on 26 January 1996 Issoufou requested that the Supreme Court remove Ousmane from office for alleged incapacity to govern. A day later, on 27 January 1996, Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara was a military officer in the West African country of Niger who seized power in a January 1996 coup d'état and ruled the country until his assassination during the military coup of April 1999....
seized power in a military coup. Issoufou, along with President Ousmane and Prime Minister Hama Amadou
Hama Amadou
Hama Amadou is a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from 1995 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2007. He was also Secretary-General of the National Movement for the Development of Society from 1991 to 2001 and President of the MNSD-Nassara from 2001 to 2009...
, was arrested and subsequently placed under house arrest until April 1996. They were all put on television by the military regime in February 1996 to endorse the official view that the coup was caused by flaws in the political system and that changes in the system were needed.
Issoufou placed fourth (receiving only 7.60% of the vote) in the flawed and controversial 7–8 July 1996 presidential election
Nigerien presidential election, 1996
Presidential elections were held in Niger on 7 and 8 July 1996. It followed the approval of a new constitution in a referendum in May after a military coup had removed elected President Mahamane Ousmane in January...
that gave Maïnassara an outright victory. Along with the three other opposition candidates, Issoufou was placed under house arrest on the second day of polling and held for two weeks. Afterward, he refused to meet with Maïnassara, unsuccessfully appealed to the Supreme Court for the election to be annulled, and the PNDS called for demonstrations. On July 26, he was again placed under house arrest, along with another leading PNDS member, Mohamed Bazoum
Mohamed Bazoum
Mohamed Bazoum is a Nigerien politician who has served in the government of Niger as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs since April 2011; previously he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. He is the Vice-President of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism...
; they were freed on the order of a judge on 12 August. Following a pro-democracy demonstration on 11 January 1997, Issoufou was arrested along with Ousmane and Tandja and held until 23 January.
Opposition leader: 1999–2010
Maïnassara was killed in another military coup in April 1999, and new elections were held in late in the year. In the first round of the presidential electionNigerien presidential election, 1999
A presidential election was held in Niger in late 1999, with the first round on October 17 and a second round, coinciding with a parliamentary election, on November 24. The election followed a coup d'état on April 9, 1999, in which Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, who had led an earlier coup in January...
, held in October, Issoufou placed second, winning 22.79% of the vote. He was later defeated by Tandja Mamadou in the November run-off, capturing 40.11% of the vote compared to Tandja's 59.89%. He was backed in the second round by the unsuccessful first round candidates Hamid Algabid
Hamid Algabid
Hamid Algabid is a Nigerien politician and the President of the Rally for Democracy and Progress party. A lawyer, banker, and technocrat, Algabid was an important figure in the regime of Seyni Kountché, serving as Prime Minister of Niger from 1983 to 1988...
, Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye
Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye
Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye was a Nigerien politician and the President of the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress...
, and Ali Djibo, while Tandja received Ousmane's support. After the announcement of the provisional results showing Tandja's victory, Issoufou accepted them and congratulated Tandja.
In the November 1999 parliamentary election
Nigerien parliamentary election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Niger on 24 November 1999, co-inciding with the second round of the presidential elections. The vote for the first parliament of the Fifth Republic, which had originally been scheduled for October, but delayed in August, saw a victory for the National Movement...
, Issoufou was again elected to the National Assembly as a PNDS candidate in Tahoua constituency.
In a repeat of the 1999 election, Issoufou placed second behind incumbent Tandja in the 2004 presidential election
Niger presidential election, 2004
The Republic of Niger held a presidential election on 16 November 2004. Voter turnout in this round of polling was 48.3%. It was won by Tandja Mamadou.-Candidates:Six candidates contested the election:...
, winning 24.60% of the vote. He was defeated in the run-off, winning 34.47% of the vote to Tandja's 65.53%; however, that was still considered an impressive result for Issoufou, as he had substantially increased his share of the vote even though the other first round candidates had backed Tandja in the second round. Issoufou, who targeted corruption in his campaign, accused Tandja of using state funds for his own campaign, along with other accusations of electoral misconduct, and said that the election was not as transparent as the 1999 election.
In the December 2004 parliamentary election
Nigerien parliamentary election, 2004
A parliamentary election was held in Niger on 4 December 2004 alongside a simultaneous presidential election. 105 members were elected in 8 multi-member constituencies using the party-list proportional representation system...
, Issoufou was re-elected to the National Assembly as a PNDS candidate in Tahoua constituency.
2009 political crisis
In 2009, the PNDS strongly opposed Tandja's efforts to hold a referendum on the creation of a new constitutionNigerien constitutional referendum, 2009
A constitutional referendum was held in Niger on 4 August 2009. The purpose of the referendum was to submit to Nigerien voters the dissolution of the Fifth Republic of Niger and the creation of a "Sixth Republic of Niger" under a fully presidential system of government...
that would allow him to run for re-election indefinitely. At an opposition rally in Niamey on 9 May 2009, Issoufou accused Tandja of seeking "a new constitution to stay in power for ever" and the establishment of "a dictatorship and a monarchy". As leader of the Front for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) opposition coalition, he said on 4 June 2009 that a planned anti-referendum protest would be held on 7 June despite an official ban.
As part of the constitutional dispute
2009 Nigerien constitutional crisis
The 2009–2010 Nigerien constitutional crisis occurred in Niger due to a political conflict between President Mamadou Tandja and judicial and legislative bodies regarding the Constitutional referendum that opponents claimed was an attempt to extend his mandate beyond the constitutional maximum...
, Tandja assumed emergency powers on 27 June. Accusing Tandja of undertaking a coup d'état, "violating the constitution and ... forfeit[ing] all political and moral legitimacy", Issoufou called on the armed forces to ignore his orders and urged the international community to intervene. Issoufou was detained at his home by the army's paramilitary police on 30 June; he was questioned and released after about an hour. A nationwide strike called by the FDD was held on 1 July and was deemed partially successful by the press.
The referendum was held on 4 August 2009, despite the opposition's furious objections and calls for a boycott, and it was successful. Speaking on 8 August, shortly after the announcement of results, Issoufou vowed that the opposition would "resist and fight against this coup d'etat enacted by President Tandja and against his aim of installing a dictatorship in our country".
On 14 September 2009, Issoufou was charged with misappropriation of funds and then released on bail. He said that he was actually charged for political reasons. Subsequently he left the country. On 29 October 2009, international warrants for the arrest of Issoufou and Hama Amadou were issued by the Nigerien government, and Issoufou returned to Niamey from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
late on 30 October in order "to cooperate with the judiciary".
Tandja was ousted in a February 2010 military coup
2010 Nigerien coup d'état
A coup d'état occurred in Niger on 18 February 2010. Soldiers attacked the presidential palace in Niamey under weapons fire at midday and captured President Mamadou Tandja, who was chairing a government meeting at the time...
, and a new transitional junta
Military junta
A junta or military junta is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term derives from the Spanish language junta meaning committee, specifically a board of directors...
enabled the opposition leaders to return to politics in Niger while preparing for elections in 2011. The PNDS designated Issoufou as the party's candidate for the January 2011 presidential election
Nigerien presidential election, 2011
The Republic of Niger held a presidential election on 31 January 2011. The first round was to be held on January 3 and the second round on January 31, but those dates were postponed to 31 January 2011 and 12 March 2011...
at a meeting in early November 2010. Issoufou said on the occasion that "the moment has come, the conditions are right", and he called on party members to "turn these conditions into votes at the ballot box". Some observers considered Issoufou to be potentially the strongest candidate in the election.
Presidency: 2011–Present
He won the 2011 presidential electionNigerien presidential election, 2011
The Republic of Niger held a presidential election on 31 January 2011. The first round was to be held on January 3 and the second round on January 31, but those dates were postponed to 31 January 2011 and 12 March 2011...
. He was inaugurated as president on 7 April 2011 and succeeded Salou Djibo
Salou Djibo
Lieutenant General Salou Djibo is a Nigerien military officer. Following the military coup of 18 February 2010, he became head of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy and thus de facto leader of Niger....
who was in power as Chairperson of the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy since 19 February 2010. He named Brigi Rafini
Brigi Rafini
Brigi Rafini is a Nigerien politician who has been Prime Minister of Niger since 2011. A native of Iférouane in Agadez Region and an ethnic Tuareg, Rafini was Minister of Agriculture in the late 1980s and Fourth Vice-President of the National Assembly of Niger from 2004 to 2009...
as Prime Minister. In July 2011, a planned assassination of Issoufou was uncovered. A major, lieutenant, and three other soldiers in Niger's military were arrested.