Niger is one of the five poorest countries in the world. It is situated in the southern region of the Sahara Desert. This arid nation has experienced a history of coups and elections since its independence from France in 1960. On Friday, June 1, 2007, Niger was once again without a government when Prime Minister Hama Amadou’s cabinet lost a no-confidence vote brought by parliamentary opposition. Sixty-two delegates in a 113-seat national assembly voted Amadou out of office. He was the leader of the ruling National Movement for a Society of Development (MNSD) since 1998.
The vote was prompted by a fraud case at the education ministry where two former ministers were involved in embezzling foreign funds that were intended for impoverished schools. Between 2002 and 2006, more than $9 million of European Union Aid was allegedly taken in the corrupt scandal.
While Amadou immediately resigned from his position on Friday, he was shocked that four groups allied to the MNSD voted against his government. He said, “After surviving four no-confidence votes, the government has fallen.” Moreover, he stated, “It’s a total surprise, given that the government has a big majority.”
President Tanja now has to pick a successor for the position of prime minister or dissolve parliament and call for new elections within 45 days. Opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou said, “We would like him to make the right choice in order to give Niger a prime minister who will promote good governance and fight corruption and the embezzlement of public goods.”
For more information, please see:
BBC – Niger Vote Dissolves Government – 01 June 2007
International Herald Tribune – Niger’s Government Dissolves After No Confidence Vote – June 2007
Yahoo – Niger Government Falls After Losing Confidence Vote – June 2007
