NIAMEY, NIGER — General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who seized power in Niger in 2023, has been sworn in as the country’s president for a five-year transitional period, following the implementation of a new charter that replaces the nation’s constitution.
Gen. Tchiani, who deposed elected President Mohamed Bazoum, assumed the presidential office on Wednesday.
During a ceremony in the capital, Niamey, he was also promoted to the highest military rank of army general and signed a decree dissolving all political parties.
“I receive this distinction with great humility… I will strive to live up to the trust placed in me,” Gen. Tchiani stated regarding his new military rank.
The five-year transition to democratic rule aligns with recommendations from a national commission, with the new charter specifying that this period is “flexible” depending on the country’s security situation.
Niger has faced persistent jihadist attacks, a key justification cited by the junta for the 2023 coup. This takeover followed a series of military coups in the region, with neighboring Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso also under junta rule. All four nations have severed ties with former colonial power France and established new alliances with Russia.
Additionally, all except Guinea have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Niger’s relationship with ECOWAS deteriorated after the junta initially proposed a three-year transition to democratic rule, which ECOWAS deemed a “provocation,” threatening military intervention before ultimately retracting.
Gen. Tchiani’s administration is currently prosecuting former President Bazoum on charges of high treason and undermining national security. Bazoum remains detained in the presidential palace with his wife, while his son was granted provisional release in January.
According to the state-run news agency ANP, Gen. Tchiani stated that Niger’s new charter is consistent with traditional constitutions but includes “unprecedented measures to protect our natural resources so that Nigeriens truly benefit from the exploitation of their wealth.”
