Niger president seeks more power in referendum
Mamadou Tandja
Over a span of several months  71-year-old President Mamadou Tandja has imposed rule by decree  cracked down on opponents and the press  and dismantled parliament and the constitutional court  which oppose his plan and together represented the last real checks on his rule.
 On Tuesday  a controversial referendum could remove the last obstacle in Tandja's way -- the constitution -- replacing it with a new one that does away with term-limits and simultaneously gives him greatly boosted powers and an unprecedented three-year extension of his rule.
 "He took the oath of office swearing on the Quran to protect our nation's democratic institutions " opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou said. "But instead  he is destroying them."
 Opponents say Tandja is clinging to power so his family  clan and entourage can benefit from an influx of wealth from large-scale projects that are under way. Tandja denies it and says he is only obeying the will of his people  who he feels want him to finish projects to develop one of the poorest nations in the world.
 "The people see the future and they are asking their president to continue to serve  so he completes this work " Tandja told The Associated Press in an interview Friday at his residence  a complex of low-rise sand-brown buildings surrounded by palm trees. "But the constitution does not permit me to stay ... that's why the people demand a new one. We need to find a way."
 "It's an existential problem for many African heads of state " said Mahamane Ousmane  who led parliament until Tandja dissolved it in May because lawmakers opposed the referendum. "They can't imagine a normal life outside the palace. They say  'Will I be in exile? Will I be in prison? What will I do?'"
 Ousmane defeated Tandja in a 1993 poll and served as president until he was toppled in a 1996 coup. Today he lives in a modest home on a dirt road in the sleepy capital.
 Tandja  however  told The AP he was "afraid of nothing."
 Any influence foreign donors may have has been undermined by several huge new projects that have buoyed Tandja and are unlikely to grind to a halt. Among them: a US$5 billion (euro3.5 billion) deal with China to build an oil refinery and extract new crude from the desert  a US$1.7 billion (euro1.2 billion) accord with French nuclear giant Areva to build the world's second biggest uranium mine and a hydroelectric dam financed with US$50 million (euro35 million) from the Islamic Development Bank.
 Tandja claims his actions are legal  but opponents say he could only rule by decree if Niger was under threat and parliament was in place to safeguard against abuse. Tandja dissolved the constitutional court -- the only body that could judge such disputes -- after it ruled the referendum illegal. He then replaced it with another court whose members he appointed.
 The proposed new constitution would give him authority to name one third of a new 60-seat senate and the power to jail journalists who are deemed security threats without warning.
 A roadside florist  Hama Alhassane  hasn't seen the draft constitution and doesn't know how it differs from the current one. But "whatever Tandja wants  I will do " the 23-year-old said. "Because he is the state and we must do what the state demands."
 State media only carry pro-referendum messages. A private TV station that broadcast a statement critical of Tandja was temporarily shut down.
 Tandja vowed to respect the outcome  telling The AP: "If they say no  I will go."
Over a span of several months  [TGT] has imposed rule by decree  cracked down on opponents and the press  and dismantled parliament and the constitutional court  which oppose [TGT] plan and together represented the last real checks on [TGT] rule.
 On Tuesday  a controversial referendum could remove the last obstacle in [TGT]'s way -- the constitution -- replacing it with a new one that does away with term-limits and simultaneously gives [TGT] greatly boosted powers and an unprecedented three-year extension of [TGT] rule.
 "[TGT] took the oath of office swearing on the Quran to protect our nation's democratic institutions " opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou said. "But instead  he is destroying them."
 Opponents say [TGT] is clinging to power so [TGT] family  clan and entourage can benefit from an influx of wealth from large-scale projects that are under way. [TGT] denies [TGT] and says [TGT] is only obeying the will of [TGT] people  who [TGT] feels want [TGT] to finish projects to develop one of the poorest nations in the world.
 "The people see the future and they are asking their president to continue to serve  so he completes this work " [TGT] told The Associated Press in an interview Friday at his residence  a complex of low-rise sand-brown buildings surrounded by palm trees. "But the constitution does not permit me to stay ... that's why the people demand a new one. We need to find a way."
 "It's an existential problem for many African heads of state " said Mahamane Ousmane  who led parliament until [TGT] dissolved [TGT] in May because lawmakers opposed the referendum. "They can't imagine a normal life outside the palace. They say  'Will I be in exile? Will I be in prison? What will I do?'"
 Ousmane defeated [TGT] in a 1993 poll and served as president until he was toppled in a 1996 coup. Today he lives in a modest home on a dirt road in the sleepy capital.
 [TGT]however  told The AP he was "afraid of nothing."
 Any influence foreign donors may have has been undermined by several huge new projects that have buoyed [TGT] and are unlikely to grind to a halt. Among them: a US$5 billion (euro3.5 billion) deal with China to build an oil refinery and extract new crude from the desert  a US$1.7 billion (euro1.2 billion) accord with French nuclear giant Areva to build the world's second biggest uranium mine and a hydroelectric dam financed with US$50 million (euro35 million) from the Islamic Development Bank.
 [TGT] claims [TGT] actions are legal  but opponents say [TGT] could only rule by decree if Niger was under threat and parliament was in place to safeguard against abuse. [TGT] dissolved the constitutional court -- the only body that could judge such disputes -- after [TGT] ruled the referendum illegal. [TGT] then replaced [TGT] with another court whose members [TGT] appointed.
 The proposed new constitution would give [TGT] authority to name one third of a new 60-seat senate and the power to jail journalists who are deemed security threats without warning.
 A roadside florist  Hama Alhassane  hasn't seen the draft constitution and doesn't know how it differs from the current one. But "whatever [TGT] wants  I will do " the 23-year-old said. "Because he is the state and we must do what the state demands."
 State media only carry pro-referendum messages. A private TV station that broadcast a statement critical of [TGT] was temporarily shut down.
 [TGT] vowed to respect the outcome  telling The AP: "If they say no  I will go."