GOVERNMENT
Niger's new constitution was approved in July 1999. It restored the semi-presidential system of government of the December 1992 constitution (Third Republic) in which the president of the republic, elected by universal suffrage for a 5-year term, and a prime minister named by the president share executive power. As a reflection of Niger's increasing population, the unicameral legislature was expanded in 2004 to 113 deputies elected for a 5-year term under a proportional system of representation. Political parties must attain at least 5% of the vote in order to gain a seat in the legislature.
Niger's independent judicial system is composed of four higher courts--the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court, the High Court of Justice, and the Constitutional Court. In January 2007, the National Assembly voted to divide the Supreme Court into three high courts-an Administrative Court, a Supreme Court of Justice, and an Audit Court.
The constitution also provides for the popular election of municipal and local officials, and the first-ever successful municipal elections took place July 24, 2004. The National Assembly passed in June 2002 a series of decentralization bills. As a first step, administrative powers have been distributed among 265 communes (local councils); in later stages, regions and departments will be established as decentralized entities. A new electoral code was adopted to reflect the decentralization context. The country is currently divided into 8 regions, which are subdivided into 36 districts (departments). The chief administrators in each region (Governor) and department (Prefect) are appointed by the government and function primarily as the local agents of the central authorities.
The current legislature elected in December 2004 contains seven political parties. President Mamadou Tandja was re-elected in December 2004 and reappointed Hama Amadou as Prime Minister. Mahamane Ousmane, the head of the CDS, was re-elected President of the National Assembly (parliament) by his peers. The new second term government of the Fifth Republic took office on December 30, 2004. In May 2007, Hama Amadou stepped down as Prime Minister following a vote of no confidence by the National Assembly related to allegations of his involvement in a corruption scandal, and President Tandja appointed Seini Oumarou Prime Minister as head of a new cabinet.
Principal
Government Officials
President and Chief of State--Mamadou Tandja
Prime Minister--Seini Oumarou
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Aïchatou Mindaoudou
Ambassador to the United States--Aminata Maiga Djibrilla Toure
Niger
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 2204 R Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
(tel. 202-483-4224/25/26/27) and a permanent mission to the United
Nations at 417 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 (tel. (212-421-3260).
Next Elections Scheduled
Presidential elections--November/December 2009, two rounds; no date selected.
Legislative elections--December 2009; no date selected.
Local elections--Not scheduled, but expected in 2008. Last local election was in July 2004.
Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: August 3, 1960.
Constitution: The constitution of December 26, 1992 was revised by national referendum on May 12, 1996 and again by referendum on July 18, 1999.
Branches: Executive--president and prime minister. Legislative--unicameral National Assembly (113 MPs). Judicial--Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, High Court of Justice.
Political parties: Seven are represented in the National Assembly.
Suffrage: The constitution provides for universal suffrage for Nigeriens age 18 or older.
Administrative subdivisions: Eight regions subdivided into 36 districts (departments) and 265 communes (local councils).
