Niger President Mamadou Tandja�s ruling party won majority of seats in a parliamentary election boycotted by the opposition and criticised internationally, according to final results issued on Saturday.
Tandja�s allies won a comfortable 76 of the 113 seats in the parliament, a statement by the electoral commission said. The poll last week followed a series of steps by Tandja to extend his term in office and boost his presidential powers.
Niger�s membership of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS has been suspended and the country faces a possible freeze in European Union development aid.
The government in Niamey has shrugged off criticism that it is undermining democracy and Tandja says he needs broad powers to oversee multi-billion-dollar mining and other contracts in the poverty-stricken desert state.
Political analysts say threats by donors and regional blocs are weakened by the fact that Niger has already secured investments from French uranium mining group Areva and Chinese oil firms.
In a step aimed at improving security in the north of the country, where such firms often operate, the government issued a decree late on Friday setting an amnesty for rebel Tuareg fighters who laid down their arms earlier this month.
Niger and neighbouring Mali agreed on October 6 to a peace deal with most of the main rebel groups who since 2007 have led an uprising in a region where al Qaeda cells also operate.
<<Print>>