Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Niger

Low turnout in referendum

    ABIDJAN

    Most of Niger's four million registered voters stayed away from polling stations in Sunday's referendum on a new constitution designed to share power between a president and prime minister, news reports said.

    Quoting provisional figures from the Conseil electoral national
    independent (CENI), Reuters reported early on Monday that average turnout in 17 of the 63 communes plus one department was 12 percent.

    The low turnout was partly attributed to farmers tending their fields during the ongoing rainy reason. Rains also rendered polling stations inaccessible in three regions.

    The referendum comes three months after President Ibrahim Barre Mainassara was assassinated in a coup. The previous constitution was scrapped because, reports said, it gave too much power to the presidency.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join