Niger’s junta leader is sworn in as president for a 5-year transition period under new law

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, was on Wednesday sworn in as the country’s president for a transition period of five years under a new charter that replaces the West African nation’s constitution.

The five-year “flexible” transition period begins on Wednesday, according to Mahamane Roufai, the secretary general of the government. He was speaking at a ceremony in the capital Niamey where the new transition charter recommended by a recent national conference was approved.

Tchiani, an army veteran, was also elevated to the country’s highest military rank of army general, cementing his grip on power since June 2023 when he led soldiers that deposed the country’s elected government.

The new president would have been in power for about seven years by the end of the transition period, following similar patterns of prolonged stints in power in Africa’s junta-led countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso.