Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesPresident of Niger This is a list of heads of state of Niger since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of ten people have served as head of state of Niger. The current head of state of Niger is the President of the Re ...

from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNSD's presidential candidate in 1993 and 1996 before being elected to his first term in 1999. While serving as President of Niger, he was also Chairman of the

Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political union, political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an ...

from 2005 to 2007. Tandja was of mixed

Fula Fula may refer to: *Fula people (or Fulani, Fulɓe) *Fula language (or Pulaar, Fulfulde, Fulani) **The Fula variety known as the Pulaar language **The Fula variety known as the Pular language **The Fula variety known as Maasina Fulfulde *Al-Fula ...

and Soninke ethnicity. He was the first President of Niger who was not ethnically

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

or Djerma. Following a

constitutional crisis In political science, a constitutional crisis is a problem or conflict in the function of a government that the political constitution or other fundamental governing law is perceived to be unable to resolve. There are several variations to this d ...

in 2009, which was caused by Tandja's efforts to remain in office beyond the originally scheduled end of his term, he was ousted by the military in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

on 18 February 2010.

Early life, 1974 coup, the Kountché regime and the MNSD

Tandja was born in Maïné-Soroa,

French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...

in 1938, in the south-eastern part of what is now Niger. After joining the Nigerien army and rising to the rank of colonel, he participated in the 1974 coup that brought

Seyni Kountché Seyni Kountché (1 July 1931 – 10 November 1987) 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 17 April 1 ...

to power"Tandja wins second term as president in historic first for country"
IRIN, 8 December 2004. and became a member of the Supreme Military Council. He became Prefect of Maradi in 1976 before being appointed to the government as Minister of the Interior on 10 September 1979; he remained in the latter position until being replaced by Kountché himself on 31 August 1981. He was then Prefect of

Tahoua Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative centre of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region.Tah ...

from 1981 to March 1988, Ambassador to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

from June 1988 to March 1990 and Minister of the Interior again from March 1990 to March 1991. In 1991, Tandja emerged as the head of one of two powerful factions in the ruling

National Movement of the Development Society The National Movement for the Development of Society (french: Mouvement National pour la Société du Développement, MNSD-Nassara) is a political party in Niger. Founded under the military government of the 1974–1990 period, it was the ruling ...

(''Mouvement National pour la Societé de Développement'', MNSD) and at a party congress held in November 1991, he was elected as MNSD President.Myriam Gervais, "Niger: Regime Change, Economic Crisis and Perpetuation of Privilege", in ''Political Reform in Francophone Africa'' (1997), ed. John F. Clark and David E. Gardinier, pages 100–102. Tandja's obtaining of the party leadership over rival faction leader

Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye (May 22, 1939Cherif Ouazani"Six candidats pour un fauteuil" ''Jeune Afrique'', November 7, 2004 . – June 14, 2009Zarma (Djerma) ethnic group.Jibrin Ibrahim and Abdoulayi Niandou Souley
"The rise to power of an opposition party: the MNSD in Niger Republic"
Unisa Press, Politeia, Vol. 15, No. 3, 1996.

1993 election and subsequent events

Tandja ran for President in the elections of 1993, taking first place in the first round in February with 34.22% of the vote, but then losing to

Mahamane Ousmane Mahamane Ousmane (born 20 January 1950), press release no. 179, is a Nigerien politician. He was the first democratically elected and fourth President of Niger, serving from 16 April 1993, U.S. Department of State. until he was deposed in a mili ...

in the second round in March, taking 45.58% of the vote.Elections in Niger
African Elections Database. Tandja accepted the results and congratulated Ousmane. Tandja participated in an opposition protest against the government of the Alliance of the Forces of Change ruling coalition on 16 April 1994 and was arrested along with 90 others. Ousmane was overthrown in a military coup led by

Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (May 9, 1949 – April 9, 1999) was a military officer and diplomat in Niger who ruled the country from his seizure of power in 1996 until his assassination during the military coup of April 1999. Baré Maïn ...

on 27 January 1996.

1996 election

Under Maïnassara, a new presidential election was held on 7–8 July 1996, in which Tandja ran again; this time he took third place with 15.65% of the vote, behind Maïnassara with about 52% and Ousmane with about 20%, according to official results. On the second day of polling he was placed under house arrest along with the other three opposition candidates and held for two weeks. Following a pro-democracy demonstration on 11 January 1997, Tandja was arrested along with Ousmane and former Prime Minister

Mahamadou Issoufou Mahamadou Issoufou (born 1 January 1952) is a Nigerien politician who served as the President of Niger from 7 April 2011 to 2 April 2021. Issoufou was the prime minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994, president of the National Assembly from 1995 t ...

and held until 23 January.

1999 election and first term

In April 1999, Maïnassara was assassinated and a new military government led by Major

Daouda Malam Wanké Daouda Malam Wanké (May 6, 1946 – September 15, 2004) was a military and political leader in Niger. He was a member of Hausa ethnic group. Wanké's year of birth is disputed. Many sources claim it is 1954 while others 1946. Biography He was ...

took over. This junta promised a return to democracy within the year, and the elections were held in October and November. Tandja won the presidential election, receiving first place, with 32% of the vote, in the first round, and 59.89% in the second round, defeating Issoufou. Tandja received the backing of Ousmane in the second round. The MNSD also won the most seats in the parliamentary election in November 1999 and Tandja himself was elected to the National Assembly as an MNSD candidate from

Diffa Diffa is a city and Urban Commune in the extreme southeast of Niger, near the border with Nigeria. It is the administrative seat of both Diffa Region, and the smaller Diffa Department.Geels, Jolijn, (2006) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Niger'', pgs. ...

constituency, although due to his concurrent election as President his seat was filled by his substitute, Nassourou Samaila. He took office as President on 22 December 1999. He appointed

Hama Amadou Hama Amadou (born 1949) 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 (MNSD-Nassara) from 1991 to 200 ...

as Prime Minister in January 2000. Niger was heavily in debt and was not receiving any foreign aid due to the 1996 coup and subsequent suspension of democratic institutions. Tandja focused on economic development, negotiating with the civil service unions and with foreign donors. Many did not approve of Tandja's measures in reducing government spending. In 2001, students at the

University of Niamey Abdou Moumouni University (French: Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, UAM) was formerly the University of Niamey from 1974 to 1994. On the right bank of the Niger River in Niamey, its students and faculty have historically been involved in prote ...

staged violent protests against the reduction of their government grants. On 31 July 2002, some soldiers in Diffa started a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

demanding pay and improved living conditions; this briefly spread to

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital di ...

a few days later. Loyalists defeated the mutineers and restored peace by 9 August, but Tandja came under political fire for his decrees blocking communication about the rebellion.

2004 election and second term

Tandja was a candidate for re-election in the 2004 presidential election. In the first round of the election, held on 16 November, he took first place with 40.7% of the vote, the rest being divided between five opponents. As in 1999, Mahamadou Issoufou took second place, and he participated in a runoff with Tandja on 4 December. Tandja was re-elected in the second round with 65.53% of the vote, with Issoufou receiving the remaining 34.47%. All four of the defeated first round candidates supported Tandja in the second round. He was sworn in for his second term on 21 December at a ceremony at the Général Seyni Kountché Stadium in Niamey, which was attended by six other African presidents. Although there had been speculation about a possible constitutional change to enable Tandja to run again in 2009, he said in an interview with ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'', published on 6 October 2007, that he intended to step down at the end of his second term. However, on 21 December 2008, a large rally was held in front of the National Assembly building in Niamey calling for an extension of Tandja's term by three years, so that it would end on 22 December 2012. According to supporters of this proposal—which also called for extending the mandates of the National Assembly and other institutions—a three-year extension would be beneficial to the course of Niger's development. Prime Minister

Seyni Oumarou Seyni Oumarou (born 9 August 1951

was among those taking part in the rally. The opposition furiously denounced this proposal, and a large demonstration opposing the proposal was held in Niamey a few days later. On 30 December 20 non-governmental organizations and unions, including the Democratic Confederation of Workers of Niger (CDTN), formed the United Front for the Safeguarding of Democratic Gains (FUSAD) in opposition to the extension proposal, and they called on Tandja—who had up to that point expressed no opinion on the matter in public—to speak out against the proposal. The relationship with the French nuclear company

Areva Areva S.A. is a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through the French Alternative Energies and Atom ...

, which had enjoyed a ''de facto'' four decade monopoly in the country, worsened under Tandja as he sought to curb the power of French influence by striking a deal with Sino-U in 2007 to develop a uranium mine, resulting in competition for Areva.

2009 constitutional crisis

In the run-up to the 2009 elections (presidential, Assembly, and municipal), a movement to draft President Tandja for a third term appeared. Led by public figures of the MNSD outside government, the group took the name of Tandja's 2004 re-election slogan, ''Tazartché'': a

word meaning "''Continuity''". Through several well funded and well attended public rallies in late 2008, the President remained silent on the calls for him to remain. The 1999 constitution not only limited the president to two terms (article 36), but explicitly barred amending this provision by any means (article 136).

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Seyni Oumarou Seyni Oumarou (born 9 August 1951

reiterated on 22 January that all scheduled elections would go ahead before the end of 2009. In March, during his meetings with French President Sarkozy, Tandja explicitly stated that he would not seek a third term. Then, in early May 2009, when questioned by the press on his visit to Agadez to begin peace talks with Tuareg rebels, Tandja announced he would seek a third term, saying. "The people have demanded I remain; I cannot ignore their call." His spokesman then outlined a plan in which a referendum could be held in mid-2009, not to amend the 1999 constitution, but to scrap it and begin work on a constitution of the Sixth Republic of Niger, which would contain no term limits for the President, and create a fully presidential

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. On 15 May 2009, in response to their parties' opposition to a proposed referendum to allow the President to seek a third term, the three members of

RDP-Jama'a The Rally for Democracy and Progress (french: Rassemblement pour la Démocratie et le Progrès, RDP-Jama'a) is a political party in Niger, led by Hamid Algabid. It was established as the ruling party during the presidency of Ibrahim Baré Maïnas ...

and

ANDP-Zaman Lahiya The Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress (french: Alliance nigérienne pour la démocratie et le progrès, ANDP-Zaman Lahiya) is a political party in Niger. Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye led the party from its foundation in 1992 until his ...

were replaced with ministers drawn from the MNSD-Nassara. With the continued support of the CDS, the MNSD maintained a working majority of 67 seats in the 113-seat National Assembly. According to the 1999

Constitution of Niger The Republic of Niger has had seven constitutions, two substantial constitutional revisions, and two periods of rule by decree since its independence from French colonial rule in 1960. The current "''Seventh Republic''" operates under the Constitu ...

, the President may call a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

on any matter (except for a revision of those elements of the Constitution outlined in Article 136—including the presidential term limits). The

Constitutional Court of Niger The current judiciary of Niger was established with the creation of the Fourth Republic in 1999. The constitution of Niger, constitution of December 1992 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and, again, by referendum, revised to the ...

and the

National Assembly of Niger The unicameral National Assembly (''Assemblée nationale'') is Niger's legislative body. The National Assembly may propose laws and is required to approve all legislation. History The National Assembly was established through reforms of the Col ...

must advise the president, but there is no provision that the president must heed their advice. On 25 May 2009, the Constitutional Court, made up of appointed judges, released a ruling that any referendum to create a new constitution would not only be unconstitutional, but would violate the oath Tandja had sworn on the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

(a serious matter in this overwhelmingly

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

country). The week prior, two major parties had come out in their opposition to the referendum proposal as well. On 13 May, the ANDP-Zaman Lahiya, led by

Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye (May 22, 1939Cherif Ouazani"Six candidats pour un fauteuil" ''Jeune Afrique'', November 7, 2004 . – June 14, 2009CDS-Rahama, the party without which the MNSD could not have formed governments in 1999, 2004, and 2007, came out opposing the referendum, and calling the constitution unalterable. Neither party moved into the opposition, and both Ousmane and Djermokoye said they were willing to negotiate with the president. On 26 May, within hours of the Constitutional Court's statement, official media read out a statement that Tandja had dissolved the National Assembly. Under the 1999 Constitution he is allowed to do this once every two years, but he must call parliamentary elections within three months. This would mean the government of Niger would carry out scheduled parliamentary elections in September, two months early, and a referendum on a new constitution before presidential elections which could have been held no later than December, assuming the 1999 constitution was in effect. Following a ruling by the Constitutional Court, this time binding, that the referendum could not go ahead, the President released a statement on 21 June saying he would forgo the referendum, at least for the near future. But on 24 June he released a further statement, demanding the court reverse its ruling. This was immediately (the 25th) followed by a previously postponed one day general strike by seven labor confederations, and the abandonment of his government by the CDS-Rahama party of

. Niger president rules by decree after court snub
Reuters. Fri 26 June 2009 On 27 June, President Tandja announced he was suspending the government and would

rule by decree Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged promulgation of law by a single person or group. It allows the ruler to make or change laws without legislative approval. While intended to allow rapid responses to a crisis, rule ...

. On 27 June, the leader of the main opposition party,

, denounced what he called a coup, and called on Nigeriens to resist by all legal means, citing Article 13 of the 1999 Constitution which mandates officials to ignore "manifestly illegal orders".

February 2010 coup

On 18 February 2010, during a government meeting at the presidential palace, rebel soldiers attacked and deposed Tandja in a ''coup d'état'', establishing a

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

called the

Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy The Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (French: ''Conseil suprême pour la Restauration de la Démocratie'', or CSRD), led by Salou Djibo, was a military junta that staged a coup in Niger on 18 February 2010, deposing President Mamad ...

(CSRD). Tandja was believed to be held at a military barracks on the outskirts of Niamey. The junta kept Tandja in detention while it organized a political transition. He was held under house arrest and then moved to a prison in January 2011. Tandja's mother, having reached a very advanced age, died in March 2011.Clarisse Juompan-Yakam
"Niger : la nouvelle vie de Mamadou Tandja"
''Jeune Afrique'', 26 May 2011 . The junta held elections in 2011, which were won by Issoufou, who led the opposition to Tandja during the 10 years of the latter's presidency. The transition ended with Issoufou taking office in April 2011. A month later, the Niamey Court of Appeal threw out all of the legal charges against Tandja, and he was released on 10 May 2011. MNSD officials, including party leader

Seyni Oumarou Seyni Oumarou (born 9 August 1951

, promptly went to his home to greet and congratulate him, but it was not immediately clear whether he planned to return to active politics.

Illness and death

Tandja suffered from an illness in his final years and travelled to France, Germany and Morocco for medical treatment. He died on 24 November 2020 in Niamey at the age of 82.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tandja, Mamadou 1938 births 2020 deaths Nigerien Muslims Leaders ousted by a coup National Movement for the Development of Society politicians Nigerien military personnel Presidents of Niger People from Diffa Region Soninke people Fula people Heads of government who were later imprisoned