2016 Niger General Election Sunday February 21,2016

The 2016 Niger General Election is scheduled to be held on Sunday February 21,2016 to elect -

• President of Niger with a possible presidential run-off on March 20,2016 and

• 113 members of the National Assembly by two methods; 105 members are elected from eight multi-member constituencies based on the  7 Regions and Niamey by Proportional Representation and the remaining 8 seats are reserved for national minorities and are elected in single-member constituencies by first past the post voting 

Polling stations are due to open at about 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Sunday.
Security is expected to be tight amid fears of jihadist attacks by groups based in neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

Presidential Candidates

Incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou is hoping to secure a second term in the impoverished West African nation.
His main opposition rival, Hama Amadou, is  currently behind bars accused of trafficking babies, a charge he strongly denies
Incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou faces 14 challengers including two former prime ministers and an ex-president  

2016 Niger  Presidential Election to go into run-off vote

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou has failed to secure an outright majority in Sunday February 21,2016's elections, taking the contest into a second round.

 

Mahamadou Issoufou took 48% of the vote, with jailed opposition leader Hama Amadou on 18%, official preliminary results say.

 

The run-off vote between the two candidates is scheduled for March 20,2016