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Niger to vote in contentious poll Niger votes in contentious poll
(about 6 hours later)
Voters in Niger are going to the polls in the first parliamentary elections since President Mamadou Tandja forced through changes to increase his power. Voters in Niger are electing a new parliament to replace the one sacked by President Mamadou Tandja last year.
He has been criticised for introducing a new constitution earlier this year enabling him to stand for a third term. The MPs were dismissed after they rejected his moves to let him seek a third term in office.
Mr Tandja has also been attacked for dismissing the previous parliament and dissolving the country's highest court. The opposition is urging people not to take part in the vote, which is being held despite international calls for it be postponed.
The opposition is boycotting the election. West African regional body Ecowas had called for a postponement. The constitution was changed after Mr Tandja held a referendum, also boycotted by the opposition.
But on Tuesday, Nigerien Communications Minister Kassoum Moctar insisted that the election would be held. Mr Tandja, 71, voted early in the capital Niamey.
Neighbourly advice "I hope this day will be good for Niger, that the voting passes off smoothly and that the MPs elected will be patriots," he said, surrounded by heavy security, according to the AFP news agency.
In August, the 71-year-old president enraged his critics by holding a referendum to approve his plan to extend his term in office. Uranium rich
Communications Minister Kassoum Moctar insisted that the election would be held, despite criticism by the African Union and the European Union.
Mr Tandja was due to stand down in December, after serving two five-year terms.
Mr Tandja was elected twice as Niger's presidentMr Tandja was elected twice as Niger's president
The proposal was approved by a landslide.
Opposition groups say Mr Tandja wants to hold on to power for life, and has scheduled the election to give his rule a veneer of legitimacy.Opposition groups say Mr Tandja wants to hold on to power for life, and has scheduled the election to give his rule a veneer of legitimacy.
Ecowas delegates held a four-hour meeting with Mr Tandja over the weekend to persuade him to delay the election, but the talks ended without agreement. His supporters insist that he has helped improve living standards in one of the world's poorest countries and so should be allowed to continue with his work.
Niger is one of the world's major sources of uranium.
In January, French company Areva signed a deal to develop what it said would become the world's second biggest uranium mine.
The mine is in the semi-desert north, where ethnic Tuareg rebels have fighting for more autonomy.
President Tandja has signed a peace deal with several Tuareg groups.
He was first elected president in 1999 and won re-election in 2004.
Six million people are eligible to vote to elect a new 113-member parliament, but correspondents say the campaign has been marked by indifference among residents.Six million people are eligible to vote to elect a new 113-member parliament, but correspondents say the campaign has been marked by indifference among residents.
Mr Tandja was first elected president in 1999 and won re-election in 2004.