NIGER HOLDS REFERENDUM
Aug 4th, 2009 by admin
Niger will hold a referendum today to decide whether presidential term limits should be abolished. Opposition leaders are boycotting the vote, called by President Mamadou Tandja, saying it is illegal, and the UN and EU have expressed concern. Tandja has ruled Niger since 1999 and has won elections twice. His term is due to expire on December 22. The president has dissolved both parliament and the constitutional court to push through the referendum, which would allow him to remain president for an initial three-year term and would then permit him to run for re-election with no term limits. Tandja says he needs to remain in power to oversee the completion of several large-scale projects worth billions of dollars that have started in recent months. They include a hydroelectric dam, an oil refinery, and what will be Africa’s largest uranium mine.
