07 Aug 2009
Niger's current president wins a controversial referendum with 92.5 percent of the votes to change the country's constitution and extend his authority.

Mamadou Tandja, 71, in power since 1999 will now have unlimited mandates and will be the sole holder of executive power for probably a life time.

The Friday turn-out was 68.26 percent or around 4.1 million votes, Commission Chief Moumouni Hamidou announced late on Friday.

The vote beefs up his power to stay beyond the December 22 end of tenure. He will head the army, name the prime minister and have complete control of the cabinet.

Tandja has consistently claimed that his bid to cling to power is to fulfill 'the will of the people'.

Niger, the world's third largest uranium producer has abundant oil, but does not have a senate.

Tandja ran into stiff opposition from both the parliament and the constitutional court in his bid to extend his rule. He dissolved both, declared an emergency and began to rule by decree. He rejected the 1999 constitution limiting presidential mandates to two terms.

The opposition has denounced the vote as Tandja's 'coup d'etat'.

The European Union has threatened Niger with economic sanctions and the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, which Tandja once headed, has threatened similar measures.

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