Niger: Government

Principal Government Officials

Chief of State: President Issoufou Mahamadou
Head of Government: Prime Minister Brigi Rafini

On September 2, 2010, CSRD president Djibo approved the draft constitution submitted by the NCC; on October 1, he signed a decree calling for a constitutional referendum on October 31. The referendum passed with over 90% approval. Local elections were held on January 11, 2011, and first-round presidential elections in conjunction with parliamentary elections on January 31. The second-round presidential elections pitted Mahamadou Issoufou of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) against Seini Oumarou of the MNSD. On March 12, Issoufou won the presidency with about 58% of the vote. He was inaugurated on April 7, 2011 and named Brigi Rafini as Prime Minister.

Niger's independent judicial system is composed of four higher courts--the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court, the High Court of Justice, and the Constitutional Court. In January 2007, the National Assembly voted to divide the Supreme Court into three high courts--an Administrative Court, a Supreme Court of Justice, and an Audit Court.

The chief administrators in each of Niger’s eight regions (governors) and 36 districts or departments (prefects) are appointed by the Government of Niger and function primarily as the local agents of the central authorities.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Niger pursues a moderate foreign policy and maintains friendly relations with the West and the Islamic world, as well as nonaligned countries. It is a member of the United Nations and its main specialized agencies, and in 1980-81 served on the Security Council. Niger maintains a special relationship with France and enjoys close relations with its West African neighbors. Niger is once again a member in good standing of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the African Union after having been suspended from late 2009 until the completion of the 2011 elections. It is a charter member of the African Union and the West African Monetary Union, and also belongs to the Niger River and Lake Chad Basin Commissions, the Nonaligned Movement, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In 2010, Niger was elected to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Telecommunications Union.

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