Tandja's plan sparks warning
2009-05-11 21:03
Niamey - The head of Niger's parliamentary court has warned President Mamadou Tandja that he risks tearing the country apart if he goes ahead with a referendum aimed at extending his presidency.
Moumouni Djermakoye Adamou, who is also leader of one of the parties in the ruling coalition, said the planned referendum could divide the country in two.
"If we are not careful, the country will be divided in two, with the republicans on one side and those who want Mr Tandja to remain in power on the other," Djermakoye, leader of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP), was quoted by local media as saying.
Djermakoye, who like Tandja is a former army colonel, is an MP and president of the High Court of Justice, which was set up to try crimes and misdemeanours committed by ministers and leading officials.
"We have campaigned for the arrival of democracy, and we must find efficient means to save it," Djermakoye told a meeting of his party at the weekend.
Threat to stability
"We must react quickly against the danger which Niger is bringing upon itself," he added. His party warned against "the grave threat to stability and peace in the country" if Tandja continues to remain in power.
The ANDP called on Tandja "to strictly respect the constitutional arrangements in order to avoid unpredictable consequences in Niger".
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the capital Niamey on Saturday against Tandja's plans to change the constitution to enable him to serve as many terms as he likes.
The protest was called by the main opposition Party for Democracy and Socialism.
Pro-Tandja supporters organised a counter-demonstration on Sunday.
Tandja, 70, who is coming to the end of his second five-year term, wants to hold a referendum at the end of the year to authorise a change in the constitution so he can remain in power.