General elections were held in Niger on 27 December 2020 to elect the President and National Assembly. With incumbent president Mahamadou Issoufou stepping down after reaching his constitutional two-term limit, new presidential candidates contested the office. As no candidate received a majority in the first round, a second round was held on 21 February 2021. The ruling Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) candidate Mohamed Bazoum was declared the winner, defeating Mahamane Ousmane in the second round with 55.67% of the vote. In the National Assembly elections, the PNDS won 79 of the 166 seats, falling short of a majority.
Background
Incumbent president Mahamadou Issoufou completed his second term in 2021 and publicly committed to stepping down, paving the way for the country's first peaceful transition of power since independence. A record 41 candidates applied to run for president; however, only 30 were accepted. Among the 11 rejected candidates was Hama Amadou, candidate of the main opposition party. His application was denied by the constitutional court due to his previous imprisonment for a year in a case related to baby trafficking. Amadou, who came second in the 2016 and third in the 2011 elections, has denied all the charges and claimed they were politically motivated.
Electoral system
The president is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round is held. For this election, the second round was held on 21 February 2021.
The 171 members of the National Assembly are elected by two methods. 158 members are elected from eight multi-member constituencies based on the seven regions and Niamey using party-list proportional representation. Another eight seats are reserved for minority groups and are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. Normally, five seats (one for each permanently inhabited continent) are reserved for Nigeriens living abroad, all elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. However, in the months preceding the election, the registered voters list for Nigeriens living abroad was not kept up to date, resulting in the elections for these five seats not being held. This de facto lowered the total number of seats in the chamber to 166 and the number needed for a majority to 84.
Results
President
The first round of the election resulted in Mohamed Bazoum leading with 39.30% of the vote, while former president Mahamane Ousmane came second with 16.99%. Consequently, a second round was held between them on February 21 to determine the next president.
On 23 February, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CÉNI) announced that Mohamed Bazoum, former interior minister and candidate of the ruling party, had won the second round with 55.67% of the valid votes. "These results are provisional and must be submitted to the Constitutional Court for analysis," stated Issaka Souna, president of the CÉNI, before the diplomatic corps and Nigerien authorities gathered at the Niamey convention center.
National Assembly
Due to the registered voters list for Nigeriens living abroad not being kept up to date, elections for five overseas seats were not held, lowering the total number of seats to 166.
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism won 79 seats. MODEN FA came second with 19 seats, the MPR third with 14 seats, and the MNSD fourth with 13 seats. The remaining seats were taken by smaller or minor parties.
Aftermath
Following the elections, protesters demanded the government's resignation and a recount of the results. Two people were killed during the demonstrations on 25–26 February when police fired tear gas at protesters. Protesters threw stones at soldiers in military vehicles who patrolled and clashed with demonstrators in Niamey. Protests lasted for three days, beginning on 23 February.
On 31 March 2021, a a coup attempt was launched by dissident soldiers two days before Bazoum's inauguration. It was thwarted, and the inauguration proceeded on 2 April.
In July 2023, Bazoum was deposed from office after a coup d'état led by members of the presidential guard and the armed forces.