Niger vs. Algeria
Government
| Niger | Algeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger local short form: Niger etymology: named for the Niger River that passes through the southwest of the country; from a native term "Ni Gir" meaning "River Gir" note: pronounced nee-zher | conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria conventional short form: Algeria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah local short form: Al Jaza'ir etymology: the country name derives from the capital city of Algiers |
| Government type | semi-presidential republic | presidential republic |
| Capital | name: Niamey geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: according to tradition, the site was originally a fishing village named after a prominent local tree referred to as "nia niam" | name: Algiers geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: name derives from the Arabic "al-Jazair" meaning "the islands" and refers to the four islands formerly off the coast but joined to the mainland since 1525 |
| Administrative divisions | 7 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district* (communaute urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder | 48 provinces (wilayas, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen |
| Independence | 3 August 1960 (from France) | 5 July 1962 (from France) |
| National holiday | Republic Day, 18 December (1958); note - commemorates the founding of the Republic of Niger which predated independence from France in 1960 | Independence Day, 5 July (1962); Revolution Day, 1 November (1954) |
| Constitution | history: several previous; passed by referendum 31 October 2010, entered into force 25 November 2010 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by the National Assembly; consideration of amendments requires at least three-fourths majority vote by the Assembly; passage requires at least four-fifths majority vote; if disapproved, the proposed amendment is dropped or submitted to a referendum; constitutional articles on the form of government, the multiparty system, the separation of state and religion, disqualification of Assembly members, amendment procedures, and amnesty of participants in the 2010 coup cannot be amended; amended 2011, 2017 | history: several previous; latest approved by referendum 23 February 1989 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or through the president with the support of three fourths of the members of both houses of Parliament in joint session; passage requires approval by both houses, approval by referendum, and promulgation by the president; the president can forego a referendum if the Constitutional Council determines the proposed amendment does not conflict with basic constitutional principles; articles including the republican form of government, the integrity and unity of the country, and fundamental citizens' liberties and rights cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2008, 2016; last in 2020 |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of civil law, based on French civil law, Islamic law, and customary law | mixed legal system of French civil law and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials including several Supreme Court justices |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Mohamed BAZOUM (since 2 April 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou MAHAMADOU (since 3 April 2021) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 27 December 2020 with a runoff scheduled for 21 February 2021; prime minister appointed by the president, authorized by the National Assembly election results: percent of vote in 2020 first round - Mohamed BAZOUM (PNDS-Tarrayya) 39.33%, Mahamane OUSMANE (MODEN/FA Lumana Africa) 17%, Seini OUMAROU (MNSD-Nassara) 8.95%, Albade ABOUDA (MPR-Jamhuriya) 7.07% 2016 results: ISSOUFOU Mahamadou reelected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - ISSOUFOU Mahamadou (PNDS-Tarrayya) 48.6%, Hama AMADOU (MODEN/FA Lumana Africa) 17.8%, Seini OUMAROU (MNSD-Nassara) 11.3%, other 22.3%; percent of vote in second round - ISSOUFOU Mahamadou 92%, Hama AMADOU 8% | chief of state: President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (since 12 December 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Ayman BENABDERRAHMANE (since 7 July 2021); note - President TEBBOUNE appointed BENABDERRAHMANE as prime minister following the resignation of Prime Minister Abdelaziz DJERAD on 24 June Abdelaziz DJERAD (since 28 December 2019)cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 12 December 2019 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister nominated by the president after consultation with the majority party in Parliament election results: Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (NLF) 58.1%, Abdelkader BENGRINA (Movement of National Construction) 17.4%, Ali BENFLIS (Vanguard of Freedoms) 10.6%, Azzedine MIHOUBI (RND) 7.3%, Abdelaziz BELAID (Future Front) 6.7% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (171 seats; 158 members directly elected from 8 multi-member constituencies in 7 regions and Niamey by party-list proportional representation, 8 reserved for minorities elected in special single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 5 seats reserved for Nigeriens living abroad - l seat per continent - elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 21 February 2016 (next to be held on 27 December 2020) election results: percent of vote by party - PNDS-Tarrayya 44.1%, MODEN/FA Lumana 14.7%, MNSD-Nassara 11.8%, MPR-Jamhuriya 7.1%, MNRD Hankuri-PSDN Alheri 3.5%, MPN-Kishin Kassa 2.9%, ANDP-Zaman Lahiya 2.4%, RSD-Gaskiya 2.4%, CDS-Rahama 1.8%, CPR-Inganci 1.8%, RDP-Jama'a 1.8%, AMEN AMIN 1.8%, other 3.9%; seats by party - PNDS-Tarrayya 75, MODEN/FA Lumana 25, MNSD-Nassara 20, MPR-Jamhuriya 12, MNRD Hankuri-PSDN Alheri 6, MPN-Kishin Kassa 5, ANDP-Zaman Lahiya 4, RSD-Gaskiya 4, CDS-Rahama 3, CPR-Inganci 3, RDP-Jama'a 3, RDP-Jama'a 3, AMEN AMIN 3, other 8; composition - men 146, women 24 percent of women 14.6% | description: bicameral Parliament consists of: Council of the Nation (upper house with 144 seats; one-third of members appointed by the president, two-thirds indirectly elected by simple majority vote by an electoral college composed of local council members; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) National People's Assembly (lower house with 407 seats including 8 seats for Algerian diaspora); members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms); note - in March 2021, President TEBBOUNE ordered the number of Assembly seats be reduced to 407 from 462 elections: Council of the Nation - last held on 29 December 2018 (next to be held in December 2021) National People's Assembly - snap election held on 12 June 2021 (next to be held on 12 June 2026) election results: Council of the Nation - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 137, women 7, percent of women 5%, National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 98, MSP 65, RND 58, EL Mostakbel 48, Movement of National Construction 39, other 15, independent 84; composition - men 373, women 34, percent of women 8.4%; note - total Parliament percent of women 7.4% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges); High Court of Justice (consists of 7 members) judge selection and term of office: Constitutional Court judges nominated/elected - 1 by the president of the Republic, 1 by the president of the National Assembly, 2 by peer judges, 2 by peer lawyers, 1 law professor by peers, and 1 from within Nigerien society; all appointed by the president; judges serve 6-year nonrenewable terms with one-third of membership renewed every 2 years; High Judicial Court members selected from among the legislature and judiciary; members serve 5-year terms subordinate courts: Court of Cassation; Council of State; Court of Finances; various specialized tribunals and customary courts | highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Suprême, (consists of 150 judges organized into 8 chambers: Civil, Commercial and Maritime, Criminal, House of Offenses and Contraventions, House of Petitions, Land, Personal Status, and Social; Constitutional Council (consists of 12 members including the court chairman and deputy chairman); note - Algeria's judicial system does not include sharia courts judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of Magistracy, an administrative body presided over by the president of the republic, and includes the republic vice-president and several members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council members - 4 appointed by the president of the republic, 2 each by the 2 houses of Parliament, 2 by the Supreme Court, and 2 by the Council of State; Council president and members appointed for single 6-year terms with half the membership renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: appellate or wilaya courts; first instance or daira tribunals |
| Political parties and leaders | Alliance of Movements for the Emergence of Niger or AMEN AMIN [Omar Hamidou TCHIANA] Congress for the Republic or CPR-Inganci [Kassoum MOCTAR] Democratic Alliance for Niger or ADN-Fusaha [Habi Mahamadou SALISSOU] Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Abdou LABO] National Movement for the Development of Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Seini OUMAROU] Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moussa Moumouni DJERMAKOYE] Nigerien Democratic Movement for an African Federation or MODEN/FA Lumana [Hama AMADOU] Nigerien Movement for Democratic Renewal or MNRD-Hankuri [Mahamane OUSMANE] Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU] Nigerien Patriotic Movement or MPN-Kishin Kassa [Ibrahim YACOUBA] Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger or PSDN-Alheri Patriotic Movement for the Republic or MPR-Jamhuriya [Albade ABOUBA] Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID] Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Amadou CHEIFFOU] Social Democratic Party or PSD-Bassira [Mohamed BEN OMAR] Union for Democracy and the Republic-Tabbat or UDR-Tabbat [Amadou Boubacar CISSE] note: the SPLM and SPLM-DC are banned political parties | Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI] Algerian Popular Movement or MPA [Amara BENYOUNES] Algerian Rally or RA [Ali ZAGHDOUD] Algeria's Hope Rally or TAJ [Amar GHOUL] Democratic and Social Movement or MDS [Hamid FERHI] Dignity or El Karama [Aymene HARKATI] Ennour El Djazairi Party (Algerian Radiance Party) or PED [Badreddine BELBAZ] Front for Justice and Development or El Adala [Abdallah DJABALLAH] Future Front or El Mostakbel [Abdelaziz BELAID] Islamic Renaissance Movement or Ennahda Movement [Mohamed DOUIBI] Justice and Development Front or FJD [Abdellah DJABALLAH] Movement of National Construction (Harakat El-Binaa El-Watani) [Abdelkader BENGRINA] Movement of National Understanding or MEN Movement for National Reform or Islah [Filali GHOUINI] Movement of Society for Peace or MSP [Abderrazak MAKRI] National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA] National Front for Social Justice or FNJS [Khaled BOUNEDJEMA] National Liberation Front or FLN [Mohamed DJEMAI] National Party for Solidarity and Development or PNSD [Dalila YALAQUI] National Reform Movement or Islah [Djahid YOUNSI] National Republican Alliance or ANR [Belkacem SAHLI] New Dawn Party or PFJ [Tahar BENBAIBECHE] New Generation or Jil Jadid [Soufiane DJILALI] Oath of 1954 or Ahd 54 [Ali Fawzi REBAINE] Party of Justice and Liberty [Mohammed SAID] Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Mohcine BELABBAS] Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hakim BELAHCEL] Union for Change and Progress or UCP [Zoubida Assoul] Union of Democratic and Social Forces or UFDS [Noureddine BAHBOUH] Vanguard of Freedoms (Talaie El Houriat) [Ali BENFLIS] Youth Party or PJ [Hamana BOUCHARMA] Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUNE] note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997 |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, CAEU, CD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mahamane Bachir FIFI, Minister (since 16 December 2020) chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 FAX: [1] (202) 483-3169 email address and website: communication@embassyofniger.org http://www.embassyofniger.org/ | chief of mission: Ambassador Madjid BOUGUERRA (since 23 February 2015) chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800 FAX: [1] (202) 986-5906 email address and website: mail@algerianembassy.org https://www.algerianembassy.org/ consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Eric P. WHITAKER (since 26 January 2018) embassy: BP 11201, Niamey mailing address: 2420 Niamey Place, Washington DC 20521-2420 telephone: [227] 20-72-26-61 FAX: [227] 20-73-55-60 email address and website: consulateniamey@state.gov https://ne.usembassy.gov/ | chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Gautam RANA (since 20 January 2021) embassy: 05 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16030, Alger mailing address: 6030 Algiers Place, Washington DC 20521-6030 telephone: [213] (0) 770-08-2000 FAX: [213] (0) 770-08-2299 email address and website: ACSAlgiers@state.gov https://dz.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk centered in the white band; the orange band denotes the drier northern regions of the Sahara; white stands for purity and innocence; green symbolizes hope and the fertile and productive southern and western areas, as well as the Niger River; the orange disc represents the sun and the sacrifices made by the people note: similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band | two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the colors represent Islam (green), purity and peace (white), and liberty (red); the crescent and star are also Islamic symbols, but the crescent is more closed than those of other Muslim countries because Algerians believe the long crescent horns bring happiness |
| National anthem | name: "La Nigerienne" (The Nigerien) lyrics/music: Maurice Albert THIRIET/Robert JACQUET and Nicolas Abel Francois FRIONNET note: adopted 1961 | name: "Kassaman" (We Pledge) lyrics/music: Mufdi ZAKARIAH/Mohamed FAWZI note: adopted 1962; ZAKARIAH wrote "Kassaman" as a poem while imprisoned in Algiers by French colonial forces |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| National symbol(s) | zebu; national colors: orange, white, green | five-pointed star between the extended horns of a crescent moon, fennec fox; national colors: green, white, red |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Niger dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: unknown | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the mother must be a citizen of Algeria dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
Source: CIA Factbook
