Niger commission recommends 5-year transition to democratic rule

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NIAMEY (Reuters) – A commission in military junta-led Niger has recommended a minimum five-year transition to democratic rule following national discussions, officials said.

After a coup in 2023 when the army seized power and ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s junta proposed a three-year timeline for a transition back to civilian rule.

However, West Africa’s main regional bloc, ECOWAS, rejected the proposal. Following political disagreements, Niger and its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso decided to leave the bloc and form the Alliance of Sahel States.

“The duration of the transition is set at 60 months, which may change depending on the security situation” and other factors, Abdoulaye Seydou, one of the commission’s vice presidents, said on state TV.

The commission also decided to elevate Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, the junta leader who ran Niger’s presidential guard before the coup, to the rank of army general, Seydou said.

Commission President Mamoudou Harouna Djingarey gave the same five-year timeline and said political parties would be dissolved, with a new charter allowing for two to five political parties.

He also said junta officials would be able to participate in future elections.

The commission’s work involved consultations with more than 700 delegates including lawyers, architects and teachers. Political parties did not participate.

The commission’s report will be delivered to the junta which will make the final decision on the transition timeline.

The Niger junta, like the military rulers in Mali and Burkina Faso, have kicked out French and other European forces and turned to Russia for support as they battle militant groups.

(Reporting by Boureima Balima and Moussa Aksar; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Hugh Lawson and Angus MacSwan)