NIAMEY — The leader of last week's coup in Niger began exercising his powers as interim president Tuesday amid promises he will oversee the organisation of new elections in the west African nation.
Major Salou Djibo who leads the Supreme Council for Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) junta, was named the uranium exporter's new head of state and government in a decree read out on state radio late Monday.
The junta has given no timeframe for a handover to civilian rule but has pledged to engage all the political players during the unspecified transition period.
The junta's actions will be watched with interest from France and China in particular, as Niger is a major supplier of uranium to nuclear power plants in both countries. France's nuclear giant Areva is the country's biggest private employer.
Areva is currently investing 1.2 billion euros in a new project to develop the world's second biggest uranium mine, at Imouraren, in northwestern Niger.
The interim president shall have powers to appoint or sack ministers, including the prime minister, by decree.
A so-called "constitutional committee" and a court will be set up to replace the constitutional court and the supreme Court, all dissolved in the aftermath of the February 18 coup.
New election laws and a draft constitution would be put before a referendum, it said.
Washington has led international calls for an early return to democracy since middle ranking officers blasted their way into the presidential compound on Thursday and seized President Mamadou Tandja and his government during a cabinet meeting.
The junta is likely to come under more pressure in the weeks ahead to name a date for elections.
Tandja and several key ministers are still being held, the military leadership said.
Niger was thrown into political turmoil last year when Tandja decided to extend his grip on power beyond the legal limit.
The move stirred anger at home and abroad. Niger was suspended from a regional grouping as the European Union, the main donor to the poverty-stricken country, suspended aid.
The military said it stepped in to break the impasse as it became apparent political dialogue between Tandja and his rivals had stalled.
The coup -- widely condemned abroad but lauded at home -- is seen as a chance for Niger to clean up its act and start on a new slate after nearly a year of political crisis.
The military said it stepped in to break the impasse as it became apparent political dialogue between Tandja and his rivals had stalled.
The military rulers have lost no time in whipping up popular support among the country's 15 million population. Thousands of people have taken part in pro-junta marches in Niamey and other cities across the country since the takeover.
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