Niger
Electoral Institution
National Independent Electoral Commission
Population:
23, 932, 378
Eligible Voting Population:
7 581 486
Minimum Voter's Age:
18
Political Regime
Presidential with a unicameral National Assembly. The President of the Republic of Niger is elected using the two rounds system for a five-year term renewable once. The candidate who receives an absolute majority of the votes cast in the first round is elected. Failing this, a second round is held three weeks later between the two candidates who came first, and the candidate who receives the most votes is declared elected. Niger has a unicameral parliament, the National Assembly, consisting of 171 seats elected for five-year terms, including 158 seats elected by multi-member proportional representation in eight constituencies corresponding to Niger's seven regions plus the capital Niamey. In addition to this total, there are 13 first-past-the-post seats, eight of which are reserved for national minorities and five for the diaspora, with one seat per continent.
Number of Political Parties:
Number of Election Held
General elections : 11 (1960, 1965, 1970, 1989 (restriced electoral body), 1993, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2011, 2016, 2020) Parliamentary elections : 14 (1957, 1958, 1965, 1970, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2020) Municipal elections : 4 (1956, 2004, 2011, 2020) Referendum : 8 (1958, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2010)
When are the Next Elections?
General elections: 2021 Parliamentary elections: 2021
On 3 August 1960, Niger gained independence and Hamani Diori (1916-1989) was elected President by the National Assembly. In April 1965, after escaping an assassination attempt on April 1965, he was re-elected the same year. On 15 April 1974, he was overthrown in a military coup. Elections were held in 1989. These elections allowed civilians to run for elections, but only as members of the single party National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD). A transitional government led by Amadou Cheiffou was set up on 29 July 1991 to prepare the democratic transition of Niger. A new constitution was drafted and approved by referendum in 1992. In 2004, Mamadou Tandja organised a referendum to vote for a new constitution, allowing to run for a third term. Facing domestic and international criticism, he was overthrown by a military coup d'état on 18 February 2010. After winning the presidential election from 31 January to 12 March 2011, Mahamadou Issoufou officially took office on 7 April 2011. He was reelected on 20 March 2016 for a second term.