Niger's referendum in a turnout tussle

Niger's referendum in a turnout tussle

Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Niger's critical referendum was held on Tuesday without major incidents. According to AFP, the opposition's call for a boycott seemed to have been heeded by many Nigeriens.

Six million registered voters were expected to flock to hundreds of polling stations to say either ?yes? or ?no? to a new constitution, which would pave way for President Mamadou Tandja to seek more terms in office with no more restrictions.

International observers from the European Union as well as those from the African Union boycotted the contested exercise. But independent journalists who observed the vote say turnout was ?miserable?. No queues in front of polling booths, no crowds of voters inside voting halls.

According to them, security operatives deployed to maintain order were seen sitting idly, yawning and dozing under shady trees. Tandja, after casting his vote, told reporters in Niamey that he was expecting a turnout as high as 75%.

At closure, government spokesman, Mohamed Ben Omar on state television, maintained the optimism after the president saying, ?After visiting about 50 polling offices, I can assure you that turnout was high and impressive.?

In the event of a low turnout, the opposition would definitely sing victory over the government because it would mean their call was heeded and therefore the exercise was against the will of the people.

On the other hand, if turnout is reported high, the government would be able to close all debates as to whether Tandja was truly asked by the Nigerien people to run for more terms.