The Nigerien Progressive Party – African Democratic Rally (, PPN-RDA) is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesHamani Diori Hamani Diori (6 June 1916 – 23 April 1989) was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence. Although corruption was a common feature of his administration, he gained in ...

. After the end of military rule, the party reappeared as a minor parliamentary party led by Diori's son, Abdoulaye Hamani Diori.

History

Pre-independence

As the name indicates, the PPN confederated in 1946 with a grouping of regional of pro-independence parties within

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 ...

and

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...

to form the ''Rassemblement Démocratique Africain'' (

African Democratic Rally African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

—RDA ).Mazrui, Ali A., and Christophe Wondji.
Africa since 1935
'. General history of Africa, 8. Oxford: James Currey, 1999. p. 210 Under the leadership of

Hamani Diori Hamani Diori (6 June 1916 – 23 April 1989) was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence. Although corruption was a common feature of his administration, he gained in ...

, the PPN paired appeals to traditional society within the

Colony of Niger The Colony of Niger () was a French colonial possession covering much of the territory of the modern West African state of Niger, as well as portions of Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad. It existed in various forms from 1900 to 1960 but was titled the ...

while its representatives worked with the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

in France, which was the only force supporting independence for France's colonial possessions.Samuel Decalo. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger'' (3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press, Boston & Folkestone, (1997) pp. 242, 317 In 1946 the single pro-Independence party in Niger was the Nigerien Progressive Party (PPN), of which Hamani Diori and

Djibo Bakary Djibo Bakary (1922 – 16 April 1998) was a socialist politician and important figure in the independence movement of Niger. Bakary was the first Nigerien to hold local executive power since the beginning of French colonialism. From 20 May 195 ...

were the most prominent members, and which numbered only 5000 members. Simultaneously, these colonial territories were allowed limited representation in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

, with Niger allotted one seat in

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and a second in 1948. PPN Party leader Hamani Diori filled the first, and a French educated Niamey lawyer, Djibo Bakary, filled the second. Bakary, a leftist, helped push the party—already perceived as anti-French—in a populist direction. The PPN was allied to the pan-colony

(RDA), which itself caucused with the

in the National Assembly. Some elements, such as RDA leader

Félix Houphouët-Boigny Félix Houphouët-Boigny (; 18 October 1905 – 7 December 1993), affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux ("The Old One"), was the first president of Ivory Coast, serving from 1960 until his death in 1993. A tribal chief, he wo ...

, were uncomfortable with this connection. Many in the PPN felt the same way, while many other, grouped around Bakary and the tiny Nigerien Trades Union movement, pulled to the left. Earlier splits of the PPN, of conservative Djerma traditional leaders and a small Franco-Nigerien contingent in 1946, were added to 1948 in reaction to Bakary and his circle and to the continued association with the RDA. Harou Kouka and

Georges Condat Georges may refer to: Places * Georges River, New South Wales, Australia * Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

split to form a group ("''Parti Independent du Niger-Est'' PINE") that quickly joined with previous dissidents to create the

Union of Nigerien Independents and Sympathisers The Union of Nigerien Independents and Sympathisers (french: Union nigérienne des indépendants et sympathisants, UNIS) was a political party in Niger. History UNIS was established in May 1948 by a mix of former members of the Nigerien Progres ...

(UNIS). This relatively conservative coalition benefited from French support, and gained control of the consultative institutions of the Niger colony from 1948-1952. Diori, much like RDA chair

, broke from the PCF in 1951 and by 1958 was close to the colonial authorities in Niamey. This faction retained both the PPN name and the connection with the RDA, while

now broke from the RDA to retain ties with the French Communist Party. Bakary's new party,

Sawaba The Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress–Sawaba (french: Union des Forces Populaires pour la Démocratie et le Progrès – Sawaba, UDFP–Sawaba) is a political party in Niger, founded as the Nigerien Democratic Union (''Union D ...

, prospered in the 1957 Territorial Assembly elections to the detriment of the PPN.Finn Fuglestad. Djibo Bakary, the French, and the Referendum of 1958 in Niger. The Journal of African History, Vol. 14, No. 2 (1973), pp. 313-330 In the 1958 constitutional referendum and Assembly elections, the PPN supported continued association with France under the

French Community The French Community (1958–1960; french: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which ...

, while its primary rival, called for immediate independence from France. The PPN swept the Assembly elections, with Diori becoming its chair (essentially, Prime Minister to the colonial governor's presidential role). Sawaba was suppressed and outlawed prior to independence in 1960 with the help of French officials.

Post-independence

Single party era

The PPN-RDA was the country's sole legal party from 1960 until 1974, when the regime of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

was overthrown 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 ...

. As president of the PPN, Diori was the only candidate for president of the republic, and was re-elected unopposed for five-year terms in 1965 and 1970. In those same years, a single list of PPN-RDA candidates was returned to the National Assembly. During this period public criticism of the leadership was forbidden, Assembly sessions were largely ceremonial, and practical governance was carried out by the Political Bureau of the PPN, headed by Diori,

Boubou Hama Boubou Hama (1906 – 29 January 1982) was a Nigerien writer, historian, and politician. He was President of the National Assembly of Niger under President of Niger, Hamani Diori.

, and a small cadre of supporters. The PPN was reviled by many as tied to traditional elites (especially from the west of the country), too close a partner with French interests, and financially corrupt. The famine which struck the region following the 1969-73 drought, scandals surrounding lack of food aid, along with personal discontent amongst the military, led to the April 1974 coup which ended the PPN's role in Nigerien politics.

Democratic era

The PPN-RDA was resurrected in 1991, following the return to democracy, under the leadership of Diori's eldest son Abdoulaye Hamani Diori. It won two seats in the 1993 parliamentary elections, and nominated Oumarou Garba Issoufou for the subsequent

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...

; he finished sixth out of eight candidates with 2% of the vote. The party was reduced to one seat in the 1995 parliamentary elections, and lost parliamentary representation after it boycotted the 1996 elections. When it ran in the

1999 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1999. * 1999 electoral calendar Africa * 1999 Algerian presidential election * 1999 Botswana general election * 1999 Beninese parliamentary election * 1999 Central African Republic presidential elect ...

it failed to win a seat.Elections in Niger
African Elections Database. It contested the 2004 general elections in an alliance with 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) and

Nigerien Self-Management Party The Nigerien Self-Management Party (french: Parti nigérien pour l'autogestion, PNA-Al'ouma) is a political party in Niger led by Sanoussi Jackou. "Al'ouma", the party's nickname, is an Arabic loan word meaning "Community" in Hausa. History Th ...

(PNA). ,

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

. The joint list won four seats, and Abdoulaye Hamani Diori led its parliamentary delegation from 2004 until 2009. The party opposed

Mamadou Tandja 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 ...

's constitutional referendum of 2009 and was a member of the opposition FDD (''Front for Defense of Democracy'') and CFDR (''Coordination of Forces for Democracy and the Republic'') party coalitions during the 2009–10 Nigerien constitutional crisis.Première conférence nationale de la Coordination des Forces Démocratiques pour la République (CFDR) : 15 partis politiques signent un pacte politique pour la conquête et la gestion concertée du pouvoir
Le Sahel(Niamey) 15 July 2010. It endorsed

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 ...

of the PNDS for the presidency in the 2011 general elections, but won no seats in the new National Assembly. It also failed to win a seat in the 2016 general elections

Electoral history

Presidential Elections

National Assembly elections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nigerien Progressive Party - African Democratic Rally Political parties in Niger Parties of one-party systems Sections of the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain 1946 establishments in Niger Political parties established in 1946 Pan-Africanist political parties in Africa