Country profile
Niger
République du Niger
Africa · Sub-Saharan Africa
NE · NER
- Capital
- Niamey
- Population
- 26,312,034
- Area
- 1,267,000 km²
- Democracy index
- 16
- Regime type
- Closed Autocracy
Events
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The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Niger. Community totals are not official results.
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Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
16/100
Regime type
Closed Autocracy
Niger operates within a closed autocracy under the centralized control of the military junta, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland. Following the formal adoption of a transitional charter that officially replaced the national constitution, coup leader Abdourahamane Tchiani was sworn in as president for a designated five year transitional period, a move that consolidated executive dominance and sidelined traditional institutional checks. Authentic political competition and formal opposition pathways are effectively suspended, as the state apparatus continues to restrict political parties and enforce a strict moratorium on broad public demonstrations. Fundamental civil liberties, freedom of assembly, and independent media operations face tight restrictions, with journalists and civil society activists operating under persistent threat of legal sanction or state pressure when challenging government policy. While the administration exerts centralized control in the capital, its overall governance capacity is heavily strained by ongoing security threats from insurgent groups across rural borders and the economic impact of shifting regional alliances, leaving the state without functional domestic accountability mechanisms.
Last evaluation:
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Country background
A concise introduction to Niger, together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
Nomadic peoples from the Saharan north and agriculturalists from the south settled present-day Niger. The Taureg kingdom of Takedda was one of the largest kingdoms in the north and played a prominent role in regional trade in the 14th century. In the south, the primary ethnic groups were the Songhai-Zarma in the west, the Hausa in the center, and the Kanuri in the east.
When European colonizers arrived in the 19th century, the region was an assemblage of disparate local kingdoms. In the late 19th century, the British and French agreed to partition the middle regions of the Niger River, and France began its conquest of what would become the colony of Niger. France experienced determined local resistance -- particularly during the Tuareg uprising (1916-1917) -- but established a colonial administration in 1922.
After achieving independence from France in 1960, Niger experienced single-party or military rule until 1991, when political pressure forced General Ali SAIBOU to allow multiparty elections. Political infighting and democratic backsliding led to coups in 1996 and 1999. In 1999, military officers restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power.
TANDJA was reelected in 2004 and spearheaded a 2009 constitutional amendment allowing him to extend his presidential term. In 2010, military officers led another coup that deposed TANDJA. ISSOUFOU Mahamadou was elected in 2011 and reelected in 2016.
In 2021, BAZOUM Mohamed won the presidential election, marking Niger’s first transition from one democratically elected president to another. Nonetheless, a military junta led by General Abdourahamane TIANI once again seized power in July 2023, detaining President BAZOUM and announcing the creation of a National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP). Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base.
It is ranked fourth to last in the world on the UN Development Program's Human Development Index of 2023/2024. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. The Nigerien Government continues its attempts to diversify the economy through increased oil production and mining projects.
In addition, Niger is facing increased security concerns on its borders from various external threats including insecurity in Libya, spillover from the conflict and terrorism in Mali, and violent extremism in northeastern Nigeria.