Counting has begun in Niger’s presidential and legislative elections after the polls closed Sunday. The results are not expected until sometime next week. Mahamadou Issoufou is running for a second five-year term with a promise to crush Islamist militants and develop one of the poorest countries in the world. “I hope that these elections proceed calmly and peacefully,” he had said. “In any case, there will only be one winner, and that is Niger.”
About 14 other candidates were running against Issoufou for the presidency, including Seyni Oumarou, the leader of an opposition coalition.
“It feels as though a duty has been accomplished with the electoral process,” said Oumarou. “It is the end of this process, and we believe that God will help us today so that these legislative and presidential elections proceed in peace and serenity in order for the best to wi
Full Article: Counting Begins in Niger’s Presidential Election.