The election of Mohamed Bazoum to the Nigerian presidency was validated on Sunday, March 21, by the Constitutional Court. The PNDS candidate won by just over ten points ahead of his opponent, Mahamane Ousmane: 55.66% of the vote against 44.34% for his rival. Mahamadou Issoufou’s successor is therefore elected for five years.
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At the age of 61, Mohamed Bazoum access the highest function after a long journey, patiently built. Figure of the Union Syndicale des Travailleurs du Niger, this philosophical candidate fell into the political bathhouse in the early 1990s by creating with Mahamadou Issoufou the PNDS, the Nigerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, a formation that would join the socialist international.
Natives from Bilabrine in the Diffa region begin their ascent there. Elected for the first time as a Member of Parliament in 1993, a position for which he was re-elected three times, he held the position of Vice-President of the National Assembly several times. After twenty years in opposition, his career took a new turn in 2011 when his lifelong companion, Mahamadou Issoufou, came to power.
Inheritance from his mentor
Mohamed Bazoum then became Minister, first Foreign Affairs, then Interior Minister. Positions that, in particular, enable it to expand its network, especially abroad. At the same time, Mohamed Bazoum from 2011 became President of the National Executive Committee of the PNDS. A strategic position from which he will prepare his mentor’s legacy. Mahamadou Issouffou will dub him in 2019 despite opposition from some members of the PNDS.
►Read also: Niger: Constitutional Court declares Mohamed Bazoum winner of 2nd round of presidential election
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