Niger's colourful political landscape is throwing up more intrigue. On Tuesday, Tandja signed in a new constitution that would make even the Greek founders of Democracy turn in their graves. Under the new document Tandja's current term is extended by three years (it was meant to end in December) and he is allowed to run for a third term in 2012 - and for as long as he lives after that. The response from the international community has been shocking in its silence, but ultimately not surprising. Tandja has ruled the country with an iron fist in recent years and has quieted all dissent and opposition and at the moment a stable dictatorship is better than an unstable democracy. Niger's massive uranium deposits also come into the West's calculations (unstable regime in charge of uranium = not good). For the Nigerien political opposition, these are desperate times. The August 4 referendum on the constitutional amendments was accepted by over 90% of the voters (with a 68% turnout). Despite the setback, they plan further protests this weekend, which are likely to result in widespread disinterest.
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