Negotiations between Niger's government and the opposition aimed at resolving the country's political crisis resumed on Monday, reports L'Observateur Paalga of Ouagadougou.

The crisis arises from the action of President Mamadou Tandja in extending his term of office on the  basis of a referendum held last August.

The crisis pits his supporters, who favor maintaining the new constitution derived from the referendum, against the opposition, which wants a more consensual solution.

The government in the capital, Niamey, is not willing to make any concessions when it comes to the new institutions established under the constitution. It is however willing to open certain spheres of the government to the opposition.

A solution needs to be found as soon as possible, however, as the regional mediator of the crisis, former Nigerian head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar, needs to formulate a proposal for ending the the crisis to a meeting of West African heads of state on January 18.

Abubakar has proposed a transition period during which Tandja would be maintained as president and the government would be led by a prime minister from the opposition. Talks resumed yesterday on that basis but it remains to be seen whether political leaders will agree to such a concession.

Adapted from an excerpt translated by Rougui Diaw.

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