General elections were held in

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

in 1999; the first-round of the presidential elections was held on 17 October, with a run-off held alongside National Assembly elections on 24 November. The elections followed a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

on 9 April, in which

Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (9 May 1949 – 9 April 1999) was a Nigerien military officer and diplomat who ruled Niger from 1996 until his assassination. He seized and lost power in military coups. Baré Maïnassara, a Maouri, a subgro ...

, who had led an earlier coup in January 1996 and won disputed

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 ...

, was assassinated. Coup leader Daouda Mallam Wanké initiated a transitional period that concluded with the victory of

Mamadou Tandja Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was List of heads of state of Niger, President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 ...

, the candidate of the

National Movement for the Society of Development The National Movement for the Society of Development, also known as the National Movement for the Development of Society (, MNSD-Nassara) was a political party in Niger. Founded under the military government of the 1974–1990 period, it was th ...

(MNSD), over

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 to ...

, the candidate of the

Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (, PNDS-Tarayya) was a political party in Niger. It was a broadly left-leaning party, part of the Socialist International; it came to power in 2011 following the election of the former long-time lea ...

(PNDS), in the run-off."Report of the observation mission for the presidential and legislative elections of 17 October and 24 November 1999"
, democratie.francophonie.org . The vote for the first National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, which had originally been scheduled for October, but delayed in August, also saw a victory for the MNSD, which won 38 of the 83 seats. It formed a coalition with the

Democratic and Social Convention The Democratic and Social Convention - Rahama (, CDS-Rahama) was a political party in Niger. History It was founded in January 1991. In the February 1993 parliamentary elections the party won 22 of the 83 seats in the National Assembly, finish ...

in order to gain a majority in the Assembly.Niger: Elections held in 1999
International Parliamentary Union

Background

Following the April 1999 coup, Wanké called for new presidential and parliamentary elections late in the year and barred the participation of candidates from the military. The elections were overseen and organised by a sixty-member Independent National Election Commission, appointed by the military government with representatives from political parties and civil society groups on 27 May 1999. A new constitution was approved by a referendum held on 18 July 1999 and promulgated 8 August. The elections were originally scheduled for 7 October 1999, but were delayed in August 1999.

Presidential candidates

Eight candidates sought to run in the presidential elections, including two rival candidates from the Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a (RDP), which had been the ruling party under Maïnassara;

Hamid Algabid Hamid Algabid (born 1941) is a Nigerien politician and the President of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP-Jama'a) party. A lawyer, banker, and technocrat, Algabid was an important figure in the regime of Seyni Kountché, serving as Prime ...

and Amadou Cissé. It was left to the Court of State to decide which of these two candidates could run."NIGER: Eight register for November presidential poll"
IRIN, August 30, 1999. On 3 September the Court released its list of approved candidates; seven were approved, including Algabid, while Cissé's candidacy was rejected. Candidates eliminated in the first round sought to influence the outcome of the second round by endorsing one of the two remaining candidates; Djermakoye announced his support for Issoufou on 4 November, Ousmane announced his support for Tandja on 5 November, and Algabid and Djibo announced their support for Issoufou on 6 November (although some members of the RDP objected to Algabid's support for Issoufou and backed Tandja instead on 7 November).

Results

President

National Assembly

Aftermath

The new government was seated on 1 January 2000, and operated under the Constitution of 1999.

References

{{Nigerien elections Presidential elections in Niger

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Elections in Niger Election and referendum articles with incomplete results