Word: tandja
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...military junta overthrew Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja on Feb. 18, following his decision to push through a referendum abolishing presidential term limits. Although the coup was condemned by the U.N. and African Union, thousands flooded the capital in support of the military council, which promised to return democracy to Niger. It appointed an interim civilian Prime Minister to serve until elections can be held...
...military coup that deposed Mamadou Tandja, the President of Niger, on Thursday, Feb. 18, could be seen as yet another putsch in a remote West African country, save for two things contributing to a growing instability in the region: cocaine and al-Qaeda. The coup is just the latest in a series in West Africa, making the region an increasing focus for Western governments in their ongoing battles against terrorism and drugs...
...coup itself was over just hours after it began Thursday, when shots were heard at the presidential palace in the dusty capital of Niamey, where Tandja was holding a Cabinet meeting. Late that night, a group of army officers calling itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy appeared on national television and announced the suspension of the constitution and dissolution of all state institutions. An unnamed uniformed officer asked the people of Niger to "remain calm and stay united around the ideals postulated by the council," which were to "make Niger an example of democracy and good governance...
...Tensions have been simmering in Niger since last year, when the democratically elected Tandja, whose second term in office was about to expire, suddenly assumed emergency powers and changed the constitution to extend his term by three years. As is the habit of autocrats, he justified his actions by saying he wanted to continue his mission of serving the people. And they need serving: Niger's population of 15 million is growing at the fastest rate in the world (an average woman there gives birth to seven children). Nigerians are also among the world's poorest, subjected to periodic droughts...
...Niger No Limits President Mamadou Tandja has been cleared to run for a third term after Nigerois overwhelmingly voted in a referendum to overturn a constitutional two-term limit. Opposition leaders accused Tandja, in office since 1999, of destroying the nation's democratic institutions and voiced their concerns about Niger's possible slip into dictatorship. Tandja defended the move, saying he needed more time to oversee large-scale foreign investments...