ion adopted 18 July 1999

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Seyni OUMAROU (since 3 June
2007); appointed by the president and shares some executive
responsibilities with the president
cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); second round of election last held 4
December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of
vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held in December
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
MNSD 47, PNDS 25, CDS 22, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1

Judicial branch:

State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane
OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or
MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN;
Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or
ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Autonomy
or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and
Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive
Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress
or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or
RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Nigerien Movement for Justice or MNJ, a predominantly Tuareg
rebel group

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Djibrilla Maiga TOURE
chancery: 2204 R Street NW,