Niger political veterans to face off in presidential vote – Times of India

NIAMEY: Niger will select between two heavyweights in a presidential run-off vote on Sunday set to deliver in regards to the first democratic transition of energy in the coup-inclined nation’s historical past.
Niger is the world’s poorest nation, in accordance to the UN’s benchmark of improvement of 189 international locations, and is scuffling with jihadist insurgencies which have spilled over from Mali and Nigeria.
Only 7.4 million of the nation’s 22 million inhabitants are eligible to vote on Sunday — the remainder are underneath-age.
Thousands of troopers might be deployed throughout the nation for the vote, which is on monitor to usher in a peaceable handover between elected presidents, its first since independence from France in 1960.
Outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou’s choice to voluntarily step down after two 5-yr phrases was welcomed in a area the place many leaders have tried to cling on to energy.
His successor will both be his proper-hand man and anointed successor Mohamed Bazoum or Mahamane Ousmane, who grew to become the nation’s first democratically- elected president in 1993, solely to be toppled in a coup three years later.
Ousmane, 71, is working for president for the fifth time since his ouster.
Both candidates are stalwarts of Niger’s political scene.
Winning votes alone has not at all times led to energy in Niger — there have been 4 navy coups and 6 elections since independence.
But political alliances will loom giant on Sunday, when Bazoum would be the sturdy favorite after successful 39.3 % of the primary spherical vote on December 27.
The 60-yr-previous former inside minister has already sealed the assist of the candidates who got here third and fourth in the primary spherical.
“Bazoum has a coalition that is expected to win if the voting instructions of the parties which support him are respected by their activists,” mentioned Ibrahim Yahya Ibrahim of the International Crisis Group (ICG) thinktank.
But, he cautioned, it was “very far from being won”.
Ousmane took practically 17 % in the primary spherical.
He can depend on the assist of a coalition of 18 opposition events known as Cap 20-21 in addition to Hama Amadou, who had beforehand been thought to be probably the most formidable candidate in opposition to Bazoum.
Amadou was dominated out from working due to a jail sentence for child trafficking which he has slammed as politically motivated.
The opposition filed an unsuccessful enchantment in opposition to the consequence of the primary spherical, claiming fraud.
A diplomatic supply, talking on situation of anonymity, mentioned the priority was not a lot “unfair practices” however the ruling social gathering’s imposing electoral machine.
The elections “aren’t perfect, at least they are elections”, the supply mentioned.
Bazoum has campaigned on continuity with the earlier regime, which has promised improvement in a rustic scuffling with the very best birthrate in the world — a median of seven youngsters per girl.
“To absorb this population growth would take incredible economic growth,” a Western diplomatic supply mentioned.
An immense safety problem additionally awaits whoever emerges as victor.
A brutal jihadist insurgency is intensifying in the nation’s west, whereas Islamist militants from the Nigerian motion Boko Haram wage incessant assaults in the southeast.
Like its Sahel neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is more and more struggling to cope.
Hundreds of troops have been killed and lots of of 1000’s of folks have fled their properties.
Polling stations might be open from 8 am to 7pm (0700-1800 GMT).