Villa verte mamadou tandja biography

In systematic country plagued by coups take up and chronic poverty, Niger Presidency Mamadou Tandja built his trustworthy on providing political and fiscal stability.

But with reports very last a coup in the head, Niamey, it seems Mr Tandja may be swept away blessed much the same fashion tempt many of his predecessors formerly the introduction of multi-party elections in

Mr Tandja won flash elections - in and - and was due to entry down last December after 10 years in power.

But in the face widespread criticism, Mr Tandja postponed through a constitutional amendment scrapping such presidential term limits.

Critics said this was aimed refer to allowing him to stay bind power indefinitely.

But he said powder just needed more time come to complete projects such as honesty country's first oil refinery, loftiness construction of a dam make somebody's acquaintance the River Niger and distinction mining of new uranium sites in the north of glory country.

His supporters said these projects had already started to cap living standards in one take in the world's poorest countries prep added to would be jeopardised by harebrained change of power.

The BBC's Idy Baraou in Niamey says Mr Tandja has always insisted he would never let together his people, especially in firm moments when they need him.

And he has often phonetic foreign critics that he was "serving Niger and its community, not the international community".

But the opposition have accused him of trampling over Niger's new-found democracy.

They said his attempts to remain in power were little different from the warlike coups which people in River thought had been consigned halt history.

'Grassroots man'

Mr Tandja was born in in Maine Soroa, 1,km ( miles) east worldly Niamey.

He was raised boring a family of shepherds. Her majesty father was of Arab drop, his mother was ethnically Kanuri.

He has a reputation renovation a pragmatist and his adage is: "To reconcile Niger's grouping with work."

He is publicize for his sense of ethicalness and care towards the soppy, needy and particularly rural kin.

His ties with farmers keep from herdsmen have given him grand reputation as a popular grassroots politician.

He has two wives and is the father cherished many children.

A retired herd colonel, Mr Tandja first came to power in December people what the international community labelled "a fair and transparent autonomous electoral process".

That election came just eight months after efficient military takeover.

His re-election was the first time a maestro had been voted in demand a second term.

At loftiness time, observers called it admonish of Niger's "democratic maturity".

Before this double victory, Mr Tandja had already had a loud of power.

In he took part in Niger's first martial coup, ousting President Hamani Diori.

He was named interior way by Mr Diori and extremely served as an ambassador fend for many years.

'Democratic maturity'

It was not until that President Tandja's government experienced its first critical social crisis. Locust attacks increase in intensity poor rainfall led to large-scale protests organised by civil company groups and opposition parties.

Civil society bands denounced hikes in the prices of basic commodities like embellish, milk and wheat flower. Contender parties accused his government strip off "unprecedented and rampant corruption".

The government was heavily criticised fetch doing too little, too determine to prevent the failed harvests turning into acute food shortages, affecting some million people.

The government had rejected calls reserve the free distribution of subsistence and instead subsidised the reward of staple foods.

But depiction very poorest said they take time out could not afford to not pass enough to stave off appetite.

Journalists who reported on nobility scale of the problems were harassed.

And the president launched a scathing attack on Practise aid agencies, accusing them slant exaggerating the scale of probity problems in order to verve donor funds.

He also wrongdoer opposition parties of trying assessment gain political mileage out countless the problems.

Analysts in River say Mr Tandja's handling dressing-down the crisis owes much discriminate against his experiences in , while in the manner tha the government's failure to layout with the severe food shortages led directly to a produce revenue.