With the 27 December first round of the presidential election approaching fast Mohamed Bazoum – who spent 10 years as President Mahamadou Issoufou's right-hand man – is in full campaign mode...
Loss of good willThe soft-spoken Rafini is perceived as much less partisan than Issoufou's right-hand man and political strategist Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum and appeared to have reassured a wary opposition...
PointmanNiger's pointman for these foreign missions is Mohamed Bazoum the hyperactive Interior Minister...
Niger's Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum says they may be from Ansar Eddine...
The President's campaign chief former Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum denies that charge insisting that he agreed Cissé could stand in the first round before uniting behind Issoufou for the run-off – normal practice in Niger's French-style two-round elections (AC Vol 53 No 8 Issoufou under siege)...
Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum an Arab from the north said the MNJ rebellion could not be repeated because Niger has brought many former Tuareg rebels into the political fold...
The military holds other cards too: the 17 civilians in cabinet are mainly activists from Mahamane's and Hama's own parties; new Premier Adji Boukari was previously deputy Governor of the Banque Centrale des Etats d' Afrique de l' Ouest (thus enjoying some international credibility) and belongs to Mahamane's Convention pour la Démocratie Sociale; Finance Minister Almoustapha Soumaïla who has pleased donors by his devotion to structural adjustment remains at his post; Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum seen as Francophile also keeps his job; the trades union federation led by Ibrahim Mayaki supports the new regime its ban on union and political activities notwithstanding...
