The 2010 coup d'état in Niger: A praetorian regulation of politics?

Extract

On 18 February 2010 Niger's President was overthrown in a military coup d'état led by the artillery company. In many ways, the coup came as no surprise, nor was it universally condemned or opposed: since independence in 1960, Niger has experienced no fewer than four military coups (1974, 1996, 1999, and 2010), four political transitions, eight presidents, and seven republics. It has spent 22 of its 50 years as an independent nation have been under military rule.

The latest coup overthrew Mamadou Tandja, democratically elected and President since 1999. The context of the coup was the President's decision to revise the constitution so as to extend his presidency by three years at the end of his second five-year term.¹ The constitutional revision alienated not only Tandja's old political partners, but also the army and the international community.

This briefing explores the factors that undermined Tandja's regime and facilitated a new praetorian intervention. More specifically, we examine the nature of the coup in the light of Niger's history, the ensuing new regulation of politics, and its possible consequences for the country's democratic future.²