Postponed several times, local elections for elected councilors will take place today across Niger. They have not taken place since 2004 and the main effort is the control of the municipalities, especially the big cities such as Niamey, Zinder and Maradi. Members are elected for a five-year period. These elections also make it possible for political parties to know their weight before the major legislative and presidential elections on 27 December.
as reported from Niamey, Moussa Kaka
They are several thousand candidates to throw themselves in the race for the municipal. The 266 municipalities in Niger are sought after by all political parties, majorities and opposition.
These municipal authorities have been postponed several times since 2004 due to a lack of financial resources, it is officially said, and the mandate of locally elected representatives has therefore also been renewed several times by regulations passed by the Council of Ministers.
These municipal elections which opens this Sunday is a demand from the opposition who asked and received that they should be held before the first round of presidential elections.
Take the temperature before the legislative and presidential election
The main interest of these municipal authorities is the control of large cities such as the capital Niamey, which will be bitterly discussed between the Lumana party and the other political formations. It is the same for big cities like Maradi, the economic capital of the country, Agadez in the north and Tahoua among others.
Almost 25,800 polling stations are planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni) for these elections. Election materials were sent to the area despite the delays observed due to the fact that some small political parties did not transfer their logo and other distinctive signs in time.
These elections are also a life-size test for some political parties who want to know their true weight before the major legislative and presidential elections on 27 December 2020.
►To read: Niger: election campaign starts ahead of general elections on 27 December
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