Niger

Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999, BARE was killed in a counter coup by military officers who restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004 and in 2009 spearheaded a constitutional amendment that would allow him to extend his term as president. In February 2010, a military coup deposed TANDJA, immediately suspended the constitution and dissolved the Cabinet, and promised that elections would be held following a transitional period of unspecified duration. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. A predominately Tuareg ethnic group emerged in February 2007, the Nigerien Movement for Justice (MNJ), and attacked several military targets in Niger's northern region throughout 2007 and 2008. Successful government offensives in 2009 limited the rebels' operational capabilities.
==Economical characteristics==
* Currency: West African CFA franc (ISO code: XOF)
* Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009)
* Commercial banks lending rate: NA% (31 December 2009 )
* Stock of money (M1): $617.9 million (31 December 2008)
* Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $226.8 million (31 December 2008)
===Statistics===
Statistic / Year 	1999 	2000 	2001 	2002 	2003 	2004 	2005 	2006 	2007 	2008
GDP (million USD)World Bank. "Niger: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04. 	2 018	1 798	1 945	2 170	2 708	2 897	3 330 	3 646 	4 246 	5 354
Govt. debt (% of GDP)World Bank. "Niger: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)World Bank. "Niger: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	10.758	12.973	13.638	
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)World Bank. "Niger: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.	 	 	 	 	 	 	9.319 	9.281 	11.769	
Debt to revenue (years) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==References==
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
==External links==
* Niger on Wikipedia
* Central bank of Niger
* Country profile (pdf) from the Enterprise Studies page (part of the The World Bank Group)
* Studies from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
* BBC country profile
Category:Countries