NIGER: More of the same or an opportunity for real change?

In one important respect, Niger bucked the trend. President Mahamadou Issoufu respected the constitutional two-term limit and did not stand again, perhaps mindful of the protests that had stopped his predecessor’s third-term bid in 2010. His party remained in power with the election of President Mohamed Bazoum, who won February 2021’s run-off vote, held after no candidate secured a majority in the first-round vote in December 2020.