FIRST TITLE. OF THE STATE AND OF SOVEREIGNTY
First Article
The State of Niger is an independent and sovereign Republic.
All threat [atteinte] to the Republican form of the State and to the democratic institutions is a crime of high treason punished as such by the law.
The capital of the Republic of Niger is Niamey.
The national emblem is the tricolored flag composed of three (3) horizontal, rectangular and equal bands whose colors are disposed from top to bottom in the following order: orange, white and green. The median white band has in its middle a disk of orange color.
The hymn of the Republic is La Nigérienne [the Nigerien].
The motto of the Republic is Fraternité, Travail, Progrés [Fraternity, Work, Progress].
The seal of the State, with a diameter of forty millimetres, is composed of a shield bearing a sun accosted to dexter by a lance in pale [en pal] charged with two Tuareg spades saltire [en sautoir], and to sinister by three ears of millet, one in pale and two placed saltire, accompanied at the point [en pointe] by a head of a zebu. Highlighted [en exergue], are placed the following inscriptions:
- in the superior part: République du Niger [Republic of Niger];
in the inferior part: Fraternité, Travail, Progrés [Fraternity, Work, Progress].
The Arms of the Republic are composed of a shield of sinople, with a sun [with] rays of gold [soleil rayonnant d’or], accosted to dexter by a lance in pale charged with two Tuareg spades saltire, and to sinister of three millet ears, one in pale [en pal] and two placed saltire, accompanied at the point [en pointe] by a head of a zebu, all gold.
This shield is superimposed on a trophy formed of four flags of the Republic of Niger. The inscription République du Niger [Republic of Niger] is placed below.
Article 2
The attributes of the Republic, such as defined in the first Article, are reserved for the use of the public powers.
All illegal use and all profanation of these attributes are punished by the law.
Article 3
The Republic of Niger is a unitary State. It is one and indivisible, democratic and social.
Its fundamental principles are:
- the government of the people by the people and for the people;
the separation of the State and of religion; social justice; national solidarity.
Article 4
National sovereignty belongs to the People.
No fraction of the People, no community, no corporation, no political party or association, no trade-union [syndicale] organization and no individual may arrogate its exercise.
In the exercise of the power of the State, personal power, regionalism, ethnocentrism, discrimination, nepotism, sexism, the clan spirit, the feudal spirit, slavery in all its forms, illicit enrichment, favoritism, corruption, racketeering and the influence-trafficking are punished by the law.
Article 5
All communities composing the Nigerien Nation enjoy the freedom to use their languages[,] respecting those of others.
These languages have, in all equality, the status of national languages.
The State sees to the promotion and to the development of the national languages.
The law establishes the modalities of their promotion and of their development.
The official language is French.
Article 6
The People exercise their sovereignty through their elected representatives and by way [voie] of referendum. The conditions of recourse to the referendum are determined by the law.
An Independent National Electoral Commission [Comission électoral nationale Indépendante (CENI)] is charged with the organization, development and supervision of the voting operations. It proclaims the provisional results.
An organic law determines the modalities of the organization and of the functioning of this Commission.
The Constitutional Court sees to the regularity of the voting operations and proclaims the definitive results.
Article 7
Suffrage is direct or indirect. It is universal, free, equal and secret.
Nigeriens of the two (2) sexes, aged eighteen (18) years on the day of the ballot or the emancipated minors, enjoying their civil and political rights are electors[,] under the conditions determined by the law.
Article 8
The Republic of Niger is a State of Law [Etat de droit].
It assures to all equality before the law without distinction of sex, [or] of social, racial, ethnic or religious origin.
It respects and protects all beliefs. No religion, no belief can arrogate the political power or interfere in the affairs of State.
All particularist propaganda of a regionalist, racial or ethnic character, all manifestation of racial, social, sexist, ethnic, political or religious discrimination, are punished by the law.
Article 9
Under the framework [cadre] of the freedom of association recognized and guaranteed by this Constitution, the political parties, groups of political parties, trade-unions [syndicats], the non-governmental organizations and other associations or groups of associations are formed and exercise their activities freely, within respect for the laws and regulations in force.
The political parties and the groups of political parties concur in the expression of the suffrage. The same prerogatives are recognized to all Nigerien citizens enjoying their civil and political rights and meeting the conditions of eligibility provided by the law.
The political parties with an ethnic, regionalist or religious character are prohibited. No party may be knowingly created with the purpose of promoting an ethnic group, a region or a religion, under penalty of the sanctions provided by the law.
