20th century The MNSD was founded in 1989 by military ruler and President
Ali Saibou, as the only legal party in the country. However, by the end of 1990, the Saibou regime acquiesced to union and student demands to institute a multi-party democratic system. In 1991, two factions emerged within the MNSD, one behind
Mamadou Tandja (MNSD-Nassara) and the other behind
Moumouni Adamou Djermakoye, both of whom had been important figures in the regime of
Seyni Kountché. At a party congress in March 1991, Saibou retained his position as President of the MNSD, but at another congress held in November 1991, Tandja was elected as MNSD President, while
Hama Amadou was elected as its Secretary-General. Along with other opposition parties, grouped together as the Front for the Restoration and Defense of Democracy, the MNSD boycotted the
November 1996 parliamentary elections. Another
coup in April 1999 led to
general elections late in the year; the MNSD won the presidential election, with Tandja defeating
Mahamadou Issoufou of the PNDS in the second round, taking 59.89% of the vote. The MNSD again remained the largest party in the National Assembly, winning 38 out of the 83 seats, until Hama Amadou, previously the party's secretary-general, was elected party president in December 2001.
21st century In the
2004 general elections Tandja was re-elected to the presidency in the second round, defeating Issoufou, with all the candidates knocked out in the first round backing Tandja. The MNSD won 47 of the 113 seats in an enlarged National Assembly. Amadou was arrested for alleged embezzlement in June 2008. Serious tensions between supporters of Amadou, the MNSD President, and Tandja, the President of the Republic, subsequently developed, and supporters of the two sides traded accusations. Despite a split in the party, jailed former prime minister Hama Amadou retained the Presidency of the MNSD with his supporter
Habi Mahamadou Salissou as its Secretary-General. However, he was stripped of the formal leadership of the ruling party in early 2009; a special congress held in
Zinder on 21 February replaced him with his successor as prime minister, Oumarou. Minister of Interior
Albadé Abouba was elected as secretary general of the party. This result came despite months of wrangling between pro-Tandja and pro-Amadou elements in the party that threatened to split the MNSD and saw pro-Amadou groups join opposition protests against a floated plan to extend Tandja's term past the 2009 elections. On 26 April 2009, the party's political bureau decided to expel eight party members, including five deputies to the National Assembly, for "indiscipline": deputies
Soumana Sanda,
Issaka Hassane Djégoulé,
Amadou Soumana ("Belko"),
Hadiza Moussa Gros and
Seydou Tahirou Mayaki, as well as three party members
Seyni Mounkaïla,
Ladan Tchana and former Political Bureau member
Oumarou Dogari. All were supporters of Hama Amadou. According to Soumana Sanda, this was because of their support for the former prime minister. On 14 May, the National Assembly admitted five replacement deputies, chosen by the ruling party:
Abdoulaye Koro,
Abdoulaye Morou,
Soumana Kangaye,
Amadou Saidou, and
Amina Ali.
Parliamentary elections were held in October 2009; presidential elections were postponed following a controversial
referendum that extended Tandja's term in office. With the elections boycotted by several opposition parties, the MNSD won an absolute majority, taking 76 of the 113 seats. However, a
coup the following year removed Tandja from office and
general elections were held in 2011. Oumarou was the MNSD's presidential candidate, finishing second in the first round of voting and losing to Issoufou of the PNDS in the second. The MNSD became the second-largest party in the National Assembly behind the PNSD, winning 25 seats. In the
2016 general elections Oumarou contested the presidency again, this time finishing third with 12% of the vote. The party subsequently participated in an opposition boycott of the second round as Issoufou was re-elected. In the National Assembly elections, the MNSD lost five seats as it was pushed into third place by the PNDS and
MODEN/FA. A few months after Issoufou's re-election, Oumarou announced in August 2016 that the MNSD was joining the "presidential majority" coalition of parties supporting Issoufou. That move was followed by the MNSD's inclusion in the government and the appointment of Oumarou as High Representative of President Issoufou in October 2016. == Electoral history ==