National Movement For The Development of Society - Third Republic

Third Republic

Tandja was the MNSD candidate in the 1993 presidential election and received first place in the first round, but lost in the second round to Democratic and Social Convention (CDS) candidate Mahamane Ousmane; losing candidates from the first round, whose parties had formed the Alliance of the Forces of Change (AFC) with the CDS, backed Ousmane. Although the MNSD won 29 seats in the February 1993 parliamentary election, more than any other party, it was in opposition after the election because the AFC parties held a majority of seats. However, the MNSD won the January 1995 parliamentary election, in alliance with the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), which had previously been hostile to the MNSD, and smaller parties; the MNSD itself again won 29 seats. Hama Amadou of the MNSD then became Prime Minister, in cohabitation with President Ousmane. The cohabitation was marked by sharp rivalry between Amadou and Ousmane, and in January 1996 the military, led by Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, seized power.