Nigerien presidential election, 1999

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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 1996 and won a disputed presidential election in July 1996, was assassinated. Coup leader Daouda Mallam Wanké initiated a transitional period that concluded with the victory of Tandja Mamadou, the candidate of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD), over Mahamadou Issoufou, the candidate of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), in the November run-off.[1]

Organisation

Following the April 1999 coup, Wanké called for new presidential and parliamentary elections late in the year and barred the participation of candidates from the military. [1]

The elections were overseen and organised by a sixty-member independent National Election Commission, appointed by the military government with representatives from political parties and civil society groups on 27 May 1999.[2]

A new constitution was approved by a referendum held on 18 July 1999; it was promulgated 8 August.[1] The election was originally scheduled for 7 October 1999, but it was delayed in August 1999.[3]

Candidates

Eight candidates sought to run in the presidential election, including two rival candidates from the Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a (RDP), which had been the ruling party under Maïnassara: Hamid Algabid and Amadou Cissé. It was left to the Court of State to decide whether of these two candidates could run.[4] On September 3, the Court released its list of approved candidates; seven were approved, including Algabid, while Cissé's candidacy was rejected.[1]

Candidates eliminated in the first round sought to influence the outcome of the second round by endorsing one of the two remaining candidates; Djermakoye announced his support for Issoufou on 4 November, Ousmane announced his support for Tandja on 5 November, and Algabid and Djibo announced their support for Issoufou on 6 November (although some members of the RDP objected to Algabid's support for Issoufou and backed Tandja instead on 7 November).[1]

Results

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Mamadou TandjaNational Movement for the Development of Society617,32032.331,061,73159.89
Mahamadou IssoufouNigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism435,04122.79710,92340.11
Mahamane OusmaneDemocratic and Social Convention429,82722.51
Hamid AlgabidRally for Democracy and Progress206,76310.83
Moumouni Adamou DjermakoyeNigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress147,6727.73
André SalifouUnion of Democratic and Progressive Patriots39,6412.08
Amadou Ali DjiboUnion of Independent Nigeriens32,9771.73
Invalid/blank votes81,12942,757
Total1,990,3701001,815,411100
Registered voters/turnout4,560,50843.644,608,09039.40

References