Niger\u2019s ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum failed to secure half of ballots in the presidential election, forcing him into a February runoff against former head of state Mahamane Ousmane.<\/p>\n
Bazoum got 39% of votes in the Dec. 27 poll, while Ousmane won 17%, according to a statement from the Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday. More than 7.4 million people were registered to vote.<\/p>\n
Bazoum, a former interior minister, is the favored successor of the ruling party of President Mahamadou Issoufou, who\u2019s stepping down after completing two five-year terms. Niger, the world\u2019s fifth-largest uranium producer, has seen four coups since independence from France in 1960.<\/p>\n
Read more: Niger Begins First Democratic Transition as Issoufou Departs<\/p>\n
The second vote will be held Feb. 21.<\/p>\n
An opposition coalition known as CAP 20-21, which includes Ousmane\u2019s party, has accused the ruling Parti Nigerien pour la Democratie et le Socialisme Tarayya of electoral fraud without providing any proof. An African Union election observer mission said the vote was largely \u201csatisfactory\u201d and there were no major incidents.<\/p>\n
The new president will have to contend with escalating attacks from Islamist militants that killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians last year, widespread poverty and food insecurity. Niger is the world\u2019s least–developed country among 189 ranked by the United Nations Development Program, and has one of the highest birthrates with its population expanding currently standing at 3.8%.<\/p>\n
Bazoum, who turned 61 on Friday, has vowed if elected to end the insurgency, fight state corruption and push for girls to attend secondary school.<\/p>\n