Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye
Encyclopedia
Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye (May 22, 1939 – June 14, 2009) was a Niger
ien politician and the President of the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress
(ANDP-Zaman Lahiya). He was an important minister during the regime of Seyni Kountché
and subsequently served as Niger's Ambassador to the United States
from 1988 to 1991; later, after founding the ANDP, he served as President of the National Assembly of Niger
from 1993 to 1994. He was the ANDP's candidate in four presidential elections, beginning in 1993; he was also a deputy in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2009 and the President of the High Court of Justice from 2005 to 2009.
society, that of the Djermakoy
of Dosso
: the first amongst equals of Djerma rulers and a house especially favoured during the colonial period.
Djermakoye entered the military as a young officer, and took part in Seyni Kountché
's April 1974 coup which overthrew President Hamani Diori
. He became a key member of the ruling council, and developed a personal power base in Dosso.
and Permanent Representative to the United Nations
. He presented his credentials as Ambassador to the United States on September 19, 1988, serving in that post until mid-1991.
in a bid to become leader of the National Movement for the Development of Society
(MNSD). This struggle was marked by a question of ethnicity: Djermakoye, who was a member of the dominant ethnic group in the party (the Djerma), lost to Tandja, who was not. After his defeat, he formed a group called the Club of Moumouni Adamou Djermokoye's Friends (CAMAD), which later became the ANDP.
In February 1993, Djermakoye stood as the ANDP candidate in the first round of the 1993 presidential election
and placed fourth with 15.24% of the vote. As part of a coalition called the Alliance of the Forces of Change, Djermakoye backed Mahamane Ousmane
of the Democratic and Social Convention
(CDS) in the second round of the election against Tandja of the MNSD, and Ousmane was victorious. In the February 1993 parliamentary election
, the ANDP won 11 out of 83 seats in the National Assembly, performing well among the Zarma; Djermakoye himself was elected to the National Assembly as an ANDP candidate in Dosso constituency.
On April 13, 1993, Djermakoye was elected as President of the National Assembly. The MNSD opposed the vote in which Djermakoye was elected, calling it unconstitutional and refusing to participate in it. Following an appeal by the opposition, the Supreme Court annulled Djermakoye's election as President of the National Assembly on April 23, but the National Assembly elected Djermakoye again in May 1993. He remained President of the National Assembly until October 1994, when the National Assembly was dissolved ahead of a new parliamentary election.
, seized power in January 1996, a new presidential election was held in July 1996, in which Djermakoye took fifth place with 4.77% of the vote. On the second day of the election, which was won by Maïnassara, Djermakoye was placed under house arrest along with the three other opposition candidates, and he remained under house arrest for two weeks. After Maïnassara's victory, Djermakoye and the ANDP recognized it and supported him, but on April 28, 1998 he announced that the ANDP was breaking with Maïnassara's Rally for Democracy and Progress
, alleging that Maïnassara had "humiliated and marginalised" the ANDP.
Following another coup in April 1999, Djermakoye was made President of the National Consultative Council during the transitional period prior to new elections. In August 1999, he was chosen by the ANDP to run again as its candidate in the October 1999 presidential election
. In the election, Djermakoye received fifth place with 7.73% of the vote. On November 4, he announced his support for Mahamadou Issoufou
, the candidate of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
, in the second round of voting. Issoufou lost the second round to Tandja. Djermakoye was elected to the National Assembly in the November 1999 parliamentary election
from Dosso constituency; he was one of four ANDP candidates to win seats in the election.
Programs; he served in this position until resigning from the government in November 2004 due to his participation in the elections that were about to be held. On September 19, 2004, he was again chosen as the ANDP presidential candidate; he said on this occasion that he did not intend to run again in the 2009 presidential election. In the November 2004 presidential election, he again took fifth place with 6.07% of the vote. Shortly before the first round of the election, Djermakoye said that he would support Tandja in the second round. In the December 2004 parliamentary election
, Djermakoye was re-elected to the National Assembly from Dosso constituency.
On May 24, 2005, Djermakoye was elected as President of the High Court of Justice, a special judicial body composed of National Assembly deputies. Djermakoye was defeated by Mahamane Ousmane in an election for the position of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament on November 14, 2006, taking 37 votes against 58 for Ousmane.
Reacting to President Tandja's controversial efforts to call a referendum on a new constitution that would allow him to run for re-election—efforts that were opposed by both opposition parties and members of the presidential majority coalition—Djermakoye expressed disapproval, saying that the nation could be "split in two" by Tandja's referendum plans. After the Constitutional Court ruled against Tandja on 25 May 2009, Tandja promptly dissolved the National Assembly on 26 May. Observers noted that in doing so he averted the possibility of being placed on trial for treason at the High Court of Justice, with Djermakoye presiding.
Djermakoye was taken ill, reportedly from the heat, at a 14 June 2009 rally in Niamey, protesting President Tandja's referendum proposal; he collapsed shortly before he was expected to address the protesters. Djermakoye, who was reported to have previously suffered from a heart condition, died at a Niamey hospital thirty minutes later. An official ceremony and military tribute for Djermakoye was held in Niamey on 15 June, with President Tandja in attendance. His funeral was also held in Dosso on the same day, amidst a large crowd of mourners.
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 and the President of the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress
Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress
The Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress is a political party in Niger. Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye led the party from its foundation in the early 1990s until his death in 2009.- Second Republic :...
(ANDP-Zaman Lahiya). He was an important minister during the regime of Seyni Kountché
Seyni Kountché
Seyni Kountché was a Nigerien military officer who led a 1974 coup d'état that deposed the government of Niger's first president, Hamani Diori. He ruled the country as military head of state from 1974 to 1987...
and subsequently served as Niger's Ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1988 to 1991; later, after founding the ANDP, he served as President of the National Assembly of Niger
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:...
from 1993 to 1994. He was the ANDP's candidate in four presidential elections, beginning in 1993; he was also a deputy in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2009 and the President of the High Court of Justice from 2005 to 2009.
Background
His family names, Moumouni Djermakoye, marked him as a descendant—but not heir—of the most powerful ruling dynasty of DjermaDjerma
The Zarma people , are a people of westernmost Niger and adjacent areas of Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana and Nigeria. The Zarma language is one of the Songhai languages, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family...
society, that of the Djermakoy
Djermakoy
The Djermakoy is the title given to rulers of the Djerma/Zarma states in what is now southwest Niger...
of Dosso
Dosso Kingdom
The Dosso Kingdom is a precolonial state in what is now southwest Niger which has survived in a ceremonial role to the modern day.-Early history:...
: the first amongst equals of Djerma rulers and a house especially favoured during the colonial period.
Djermakoye entered the military as a young officer, and took part in Seyni Kountché
Seyni Kountché
Seyni Kountché was a Nigerien military officer who led a 1974 coup d'état that deposed the government of Niger's first president, Hamani Diori. He ruled the country as military head of state from 1974 to 1987...
's April 1974 coup which overthrew President Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori
Hamani Diori was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence.- Youth :...
. He became a key member of the ruling council, and developed a personal power base in Dosso.
Service as a minister and diplomat during military rule (1974–1991)
Following the 1974 coup, Djermakoye served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation from April 22, 1974 to September 10, 1979. On the latter date, he was named Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture, in which position he served until he was named Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs on August 31, 1981. He remained in the latter position until January 24, 1983. In May 1988 he was named Ambassador to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Permanent Representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He presented his credentials as Ambassador to the United States on September 19, 1988, serving in that post until mid-1991.
MNSD leadership bid, formation of the ANDP, multiparty elections (1991–1996)
In 1991, Djermakoye was defeated by Tandja MamadouTandja 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...
in a bid to become leader of the National Movement for the Development of Society
National Movement for the Development of Society
The National Movement for the Society of Development - MNSD / MNSD-Nassara is a political party in Niger. Founded under the military government of the 1974-1990 period, it was the ruling party of Niger from 1989 to 1993 and again from 1999 until a coup on February 18, 2010, by a military junta...
(MNSD). This struggle was marked by a question of ethnicity: Djermakoye, who was a member of the dominant ethnic group in the party (the Djerma), lost to Tandja, who was not. After his defeat, he formed a group called the Club of Moumouni Adamou Djermokoye's Friends (CAMAD), which later became the ANDP.
In February 1993, Djermakoye stood as the ANDP candidate in the first round of the 1993 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...
and placed fourth with 15.24% of the vote. As part of a coalition called the Alliance of the Forces of Change, Djermakoye backed 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...
of the Democratic and Social Convention
Democratic and Social Convention
The Democratic and Social Convention - Rahama is a political party in Niger. It was founded in January 1991. In the 1993 presidential election, the party's leader, Mahamane Ousmane, was elected president...
(CDS) in the second round of the election against Tandja of the MNSD, and Ousmane was victorious. In the February 1993 parliamentary election
Nigerien 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...
, the ANDP won 11 out of 83 seats in the National Assembly, performing well among the Zarma; Djermakoye himself was elected to the National Assembly as an ANDP candidate in Dosso constituency.
On April 13, 1993, Djermakoye was elected as President of the National Assembly. The MNSD opposed the vote in which Djermakoye was elected, calling it unconstitutional and refusing to participate in it. Following an appeal by the opposition, the Supreme Court annulled Djermakoye's election as President of the National Assembly on April 23, but the National Assembly elected Djermakoye again in May 1993. He remained President of the National Assembly until October 1994, when the National Assembly was dissolved ahead of a new parliamentary election.
Under the Maïnassara regime and transitional military rule (1996–1999)
After the military, led by Ibrahim Baré MaïnassaraIbrahim 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 January 1996, a new presidential election was held in July 1996, in which Djermakoye took fifth place with 4.77% of the vote. On the second day of the election, which was won by Maïnassara, Djermakoye was placed under house arrest along with the three other opposition candidates, and he remained under house arrest for two weeks. After Maïnassara's victory, Djermakoye and the ANDP recognized it and supported him, but on April 28, 1998 he announced that the ANDP was breaking with Maïnassara's Rally for Democracy and Progress
Rally for Democracy and Progress (Niger)
The Rally for Democracy and Progress is a political party in Niger. It was established as the ruling party during the presidency of Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara.-Under second military regime and Fourth Republic:...
, alleging that Maïnassara had "humiliated and marginalised" the ANDP.
Following another coup in April 1999, Djermakoye was made President of the National Consultative Council during the transitional period prior to new elections. In August 1999, he was chosen by the ANDP to run again as its candidate in the October 1999 presidential election
Nigerien 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...
. In the election, Djermakoye received fifth place with 7.73% of the vote. On November 4, he announced his support for Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou is a Nigerien 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...
, the candidate of 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...
, in the second round of voting. Issoufou lost the second round to Tandja. Djermakoye was elected to the National Assembly 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...
from Dosso constituency; he was one of four ANDP candidates to win seats in the election.
Activities during the Fifth Republic (1999–2009)
In July 2002, the ANDP joined the MNSD-led Alliance of Democratic Forces, the ruling coalition, withdrawing from the opposition Coordination of Democratic Forces to which it had previously belonged. On November 8, 2002, Djermakoye was named Minister of State for African Integration and NEPADNew Partnership for Africa's Development
The New Partnership for Africa's Development is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia...
Programs; he served in this position until resigning from the government in November 2004 due to his participation in the elections that were about to be held. On September 19, 2004, he was again chosen as the ANDP presidential candidate; he said on this occasion that he did not intend to run again in the 2009 presidential election. In the November 2004 presidential election, he again took fifth place with 6.07% of the vote. Shortly before the first round of the election, Djermakoye said that he would support Tandja in the second round. 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...
, Djermakoye was re-elected to the National Assembly from Dosso constituency.
On May 24, 2005, Djermakoye was elected as President of the High Court of Justice, a special judicial body composed of National Assembly deputies. Djermakoye was defeated by Mahamane Ousmane in an election for the position of Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament on November 14, 2006, taking 37 votes against 58 for Ousmane.
Reacting to President Tandja's controversial efforts to call a referendum on a new constitution that would allow him to run for re-election—efforts that were opposed by both opposition parties and members of the presidential majority coalition—Djermakoye expressed disapproval, saying that the nation could be "split in two" by Tandja's referendum plans. After the Constitutional Court ruled against Tandja on 25 May 2009, Tandja promptly dissolved the National Assembly on 26 May. Observers noted that in doing so he averted the possibility of being placed on trial for treason at the High Court of Justice, with Djermakoye presiding.
Djermakoye was taken ill, reportedly from the heat, at a 14 June 2009 rally in Niamey, protesting President Tandja's referendum proposal; he collapsed shortly before he was expected to address the protesters. Djermakoye, who was reported to have previously suffered from a heart condition, died at a Niamey hospital thirty minutes later. An official ceremony and military tribute for Djermakoye was held in Niamey on 15 June, with President Tandja in attendance. His funeral was also held in Dosso on the same day, amidst a large crowd of mourners.