Mahamane Ousmane (born 20 January 1950), press release no. 179, is a
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesfourth President of Niger, serving from 16 April 1993, U.S. Department of State. until he was deposed in a military ''
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 27 January 1996. He has continued to run for president in each election since his ousting, and he was president of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
from December 1999 to May 2009. Since April 2020, he is the president of the
Democratic and Republican Renewal
Democratic and Republican Renewal (abbreviated RDR-Tchanji) is a political party in Niger.
History
The party was founded on 16 April 2020 by former President Mahamane Ousmane.
Electoral performance
* 2020–21 Nigerien general election, se ...
Ousmane, the candidate of the CDS, ran for president in the election held on 27 February 1993. He received second place, with 26.59% of the vote, behind
Tandja Mamadou
Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger 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 ...
of the
National Movement for the Development of 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 ...
(MNSD); however, with the backing of a coalition of parties known as the Alliance of the Forces of Change (AFC), Ousmane won the presidency in the second round, held on 27 March, taking 54.42%.Elections in Niger African Elections Database.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.
Presidency
During the second part of Ousmane's term, the AFC, which included Ousmane's party, held a parliamentary majority. In September 1993, however, Ousmane issued a decree that reduced the powers of the prime minister; the resignation of 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 ...
soon followed, along with the withdrawal of his party, the
Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (french: Parti Nigerien pour la Democratie et le Socialisme, PNDS-Tarayya) is a political party in Niger. It is a broadly left-leaning party, part of the Socialist International, and since 2011 it h ...
(PNDS), from the governing coalition. This left the coalition without a parliamentary majority; despite this, Ousmane appointed his CDS ally
Souley Abdoulaye
Souley Abdoulaye (born 1965) is a Nigerien politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Niger from 28 September 1994Nancy Ellen LawlerNiger: Year in Review 1994 Britannica.com. to 8 February 1995. He later served in the government under Preside ...
as prime minister, but the parliament quickly passed a vote of no confidence against Abdoulaye. Consequently, new parliamentary elections were called for January 1995. These elections resulted in a victory for the opposition, composed of a new alliance between the MNSD and the PNDS, and forced
cohabitation
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...
between Ousmane and a government headed by MNSD Prime Minister
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 ...
. This resulted in sharp rivalry and government deadlock; beginning in April, Ousmane refused to attend meetings of the Council of Ministers although he was constitutionally required to do so, and in July Amadou replaced the heads of state-owned companies, a move which Ousmane wanted to be reversed. Amadou also tried to assume the presidential role with regard to the Council of Ministers. Tensions continued to escalate, and Ousmane made clear his intention to dissolve the parliament and call new elections after the passing of one year (he was constitutionally prohibited from doing so sooner).
On 27 January 1996,
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 ...
seized power in a military coup, pointing to the disordered political situation as justification. Ousmane was arrested and held at a military barracks for five days; he was then placed under house arrest until 24 April as were Amadou and Issoufou."Niger: A major step backwards" , Amnesty International, 16 October 1996. In February, Ousmane was put on television, along with Amadou and Issoufou, to express the view that flaws in the operation of the political system were the cause of the coup, and to call for changes in the system.
1996 and 1999 elections
Ousmane received second place, with 19.75% of the vote, in the 7–8 July, 1996 presidential election, which was won by Maïnassara; on the second day of polling he was again placed under house arrest and was freed after two weeks. Following a pro-democracy demonstration on 11 January 1997, Ousmane was arrested along with Tandja and Issoufou and held until 23 January.
Ousmane took third place, with 22.51% of the vote, in the October 1999 presidential election, which occurred after the assassination of Maïnassara; he placed slightly behind second-place finisher Issoufou and therefore did not participate in the run-off held in November. Ousmane gave his support to Tandja, and Tandja defeated Issoufou to win the second round.
The November 1999 parliamentary election gave a majority to an alliance of Tandja's MNSD and Ousmane's CDS. Ousmane was elected to the National Assembly from Zinder constituency, and on 29 December 1999, he was elected President of the National Assembly.
Events since 1999
Ousmane was elected as the President of the Interparliamentary Committee of the
West African Economic and Monetary Union
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
on 9 March 2003, at its 12th session, and he was re-elected to that post at the 13th session in March 2004. He was also elected as the President of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an inter-parliamentary institution, international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and coop ...
(IPU) on 15 January 2004.
Ousmane was again chosen as the CDS presidential candidate at the party's fifth extraordinary congress, held on 18 September 2004. He took third place in the November 2004 presidential election, receiving 17.4% of the vote. Following the December 2004 parliamentary election, Ousmane was re-elected President of the National Assembly on 16 December.
On 14 November 2006, Ousmane was elected as Speaker 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 ...
(ECOWAS) Parliament, defeating another Nigerien politician,
Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye (May 22, 1939Cherif Ouazani"Six candidats pour un fauteuil" ''Jeune Afrique'', November 7, 2004 . – June 14, 2009August 2009 constitutional referendum as well as the October 2009 parliamentary election. With the hostility between the opposition and the Tandja government deepening, the authorities issued a warrant for Ousmane's arrest; they also issued arrest warrants for PNDS President Mahamadou Issoufou and former Prime Minister Hama Amadou. Ousmane was living outside of Niger by that point. Following talks with officials from the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
on 8 December 2009, Prime Minister Ali Badjo Gamatie announced that the arrest warrants were suspended to facilitate dialogue with the opposition. Ousmane said on 10 December that the move was encouraging, but that it was also necessary for the government to release those who he characterized as political prisoners. However, the arrest warrants were reactivated two weeks later, diminishing hopes for further dialogue. The government warned that Ousmane and the other opposition leaders would face arrest if they entered Niger.
Tandja was ousted in a
military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...
on 18 February 2010. That made it possible for Ousmane to return to Niger without being arrested, and he "arrived discreetly" on a flight from
Abuja
Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
History of Niger
This is the history of the Niger. See also the history of Africa and the history of West Africa.
Pre-historic Niger
Humans have lived in what is now the Niger from the earliest of times. 2 to 3.5 million-year-old Australopithecus bahrelghaza ...