IPU PARLINE database: NIGER (Assemblée nationale), Elections in 2004

Parliament name (generic / translated)

Assemblée nationale / National Assembly

Structure of parliament

Unicameral

Dates of election / renewal (from/to)

4 December 2004

Purpose of elections

Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

The second round of Niger's 2004 presidential election was held together with legislative elections on 4 December 2004. Voters were called on to elect an expanded National Assembly composed of 113 deputies, 30 more than the previous legislature, as the country's population had risen from about 8 million in 1993 to over 11 million. In addition, a quota law adopted by the Government in 2002 obliges all competing political parties to allot 10 per cent of their elected positions to women.

The first round of the presidential elections was held on 16 November 2004, with six candidates running for president.
The second round pitted the incumbent, President Mamadou Tandja, the first Head of State to complete his term since the first democratic elections were held in 1993, against the leader of the opposition, Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou of the Niger Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS). Mr. Tandja had come in first during the first round, with 40.67 per cent of the votes, ahead of Mr. Issoufou, who had received 24.60 per cent. For the legislative elections, six political parties presented candidates.

The election campaign concentrated on social problems such as education, employment and health care, which are the main challenges facing the next Government. According to the 2004 Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Niger is the second poorest country in the world; nearly 60 per cent of its people live on a dollar a day or less. One in five people has access to proper sanitation, and nearly 41 per cent of the population has no access to clean drinking water. The percentage of children attending school is the lowest in Africa.

On the other hand, the insecurity which has emerged in some parts of the country drew little attention from the candidates. Mr. Tandja was one of the rare candidates who addressed this problem. He promised to beef up patrols along the western border, where herders and rustlers often clash. During the campaign there was, however, hardly any mention of the violence raging in the country's north, where several buses were attacked in the past year, or of the clashes that took place in October 2004 between armed men and government troops, which left five dead.

Nearly 900 national and international observers were stationed throughout the country to monitor the election. The election observers, coordinated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), considered that the first round of the presidential poll had "met the criteria of a democratic, free and transparent election, despite some shortcomings". For their part, the observers from La Francophonie and the National Human Rights Commission respectively reported delays in the setting up of electoral equipment at some polling places and problems with the distribution of the new voter registration cards, as well as a lack of logistical support for the administrative commissions. In their report, the national observers of the Niger Elections Monitoring Coalition (COSPEN) noted that there had been some attempts at voting fraud.
There was a low turnout (44.97 per cent) on the day of the double election; during the first round of the presidential election the turnout had been 48.25 per cent.

Mr. Mamadou Tandja was re-elected in the second round of the presidential election with 65.53 per cent of the vote, against 34.47 per cent for the former Prime Minister, Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou.

The outgoing ruling party, the National Movement for a Developing Society (MNSD), came in first in the legislative elections, with 47 of the 113 seats. The PNDS and its allies won 25 seats. A party allied with the MNSD, the Democratic and Social Convention (CDS) of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Mahamane Ousmane, came in third, with 22 seats, and 6 seats were given to the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), another MNSD ally, which includes followers of the assassinated President, Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara. Two other parties allied with the MNSD, the National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP) and the Social and Democratic Rally (RSD), respectively won 5 and 7 seats. The last seat went to the Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger (PSDN) allied to the MNSD.

Voter turnout

Round no 1

4 December 2004

Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes

5'278'598
2'358'168 (44.67%)
55'019
2'303'149

Notes

Distribution of votes

Round no 1
Political Group	Candidates	Votes	%
National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD)
Niger Party for Democracy and Socialism and allies (PNDS)
Democratic and Social Convention (CDS)
Social Democratic Rally (RSD)
Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP)
Niger Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP)
Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger (PSDN)

Distribution of seats

Round no 1
Political Group	Total
National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD)	47
Niger Party for Democracy and Socialism and allies (PNDS)	25
Democratic and Social Convention (CDS)	22
Social Democratic Rally (RSD)	7
Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP)	6
Niger Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP)	5
Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger (PSDN)	1

Distribution of seats according to sex

Men
Women
Percent of women

99
14
12.39%

Distribution of seats according to age

31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years

17
35
47
14

Distribution of seats according to profession

Comments

Source: AFP, Nationale Assembly (31.12.2004)

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