Parties reach consensus on constitutional arrangements

Niger’s political parties have reached a compromise that balances the powers of the president, prime minister and parliament, media organisations reported at the weekend. The compromise ended a deadlock between the parties on the type of political regime the country should have. Under a draft constitution that had been handed to the junta on 3 June by a broad-based committee, power would have been shared between a president and a prime minister. However, it was rejected by two of Niger’s three main political parties, apparently because a similar constitution adopted in 1993 had led to a difficult “cohabitation”, between rival parties, which had paralysed government. In a meeting on Wednesday with representatives of all the parties, Major Daouda Mallam Wanke, chief of the ruling junta in Niger, gave them until Friday - later extended to Saturday - to agree on the country’s constitution. The Gabon-based Africa No. 1 radio station quotes Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye, head of the Alliance nigerienne pour la Democratie et le Progres, as saying that the parties had adopted “a constitutional regime which should eliminate the loopholes in standard presidential and semi-presidential regimes”. “Political parties have agreed to innovate in two areas,” he added. “First, with the creation of a crisis prevention and resolution body within the political institutions” called the Consultative Assembly of the Republic. “Second, with the formation of a national unity government to ensure participatory governance, including all political tendencies, during the next administration,” he said. According to AFP, the text of the agreement was handed over to Wanke at a ceremony on Saturday. It is to be submitted to a national referendum on 11 July.