Niger’s ruling junta may have attracted international approval for a transitional government it has installed after only 100 days in power, but some inside the country still have misgivings.
Civic officials in Niger have expressed fears that the country’s leaders are favouring their own entourage and putting unreasonable limits on who can stand for office in the elections.
The junta known as the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) seized power on February 18, ousting President Mamadou Tandja, who had changed the constitution to stay in office beyond two terms.
They then suspended the constitution of the uranium-rich state, dissolved the cabinet but promised to organise elections after a transition period and restore civilian rule.
Less than four months after the coup, the institutions of the transition have been set up and an independent national electoral commission is set to be installed in June.
The country’s military ruler, General Salou Djibo, recently proposed a new electoral code with elections anticipated before the first anniversary of the coup.
"It has begun rather well. All the institutions are in place," a Western diplomatic source in Niger told AFP when contacted by telephone from Abidjan.
The international community has also signalled its approval, with the World Bank announcing the resumption of payments that had been suspended last year.
And the European Union has said it could "gradually" resume cooperation if progress towards democratic rules continues.
Niger is reintegrating "gradually into the international community," says government spokesman Laouali Dan Dah.
It is just as well, because the country needs all the help it can get: the landlocked country on the edge of the Sahara is suffering serious food shortages.
Within the country, the coup leaders met with little opposition in overthrowing the 10-year rule of Tandja, who is still being detained although the junta has released about 15 of his allies who were also arrested.
The transitional government has also moved to tackle the hunger crisis, announcing a food distribution operation for nearly 1.5 million people facing severe shortages - though that is still not enough.
According to the United Nations around 7.8 million Nigeriens more than half the population — are in need of food.
And now civic leaders in Niger such as Mamane Hamissou have begun to voice criticism of the military’s handling of the reins of power.
The country is being run by "relatives, friends and allies" of the junta, Hamissou says.
He also criticised the new electoral code, which requires candidates for the national legislature to hold degrees, in a country where most people are illiterate.
"A lot of Nigeriens will be eliminated" from running for office, says Hamissou, calling it a sort of "apartheid".
The former ruling party has condemned the electoral plans as "unrealistic".
But the transition government claims the electoral discussions are not yet finalised and says that the goal is to hold free and fair polls.
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