Niger's opposition on Saturday rejected a new constitution that paves the way for President Mamadou Tandja to hold on to power indefinitely and pledged to fight what it termed a "dictatorship".
"We are going to continue to defend the constitution of August 9, 1999, that the people of Niger have shown their attachment to by rejecting the new one proposed by President Tandja," said opposition leader Mamadou Issoufou.
Issoufou, an outspoken opponent of Tandja's regime, is also a member of the umbrella opposition coalition, the Forces for the Coordination of Democratic Forces for the Republic (CFDR).
Niger's electoral commission said Friday that Tuesday's controversial referendum, on constitutional changes to remove term limits that would potentially allow the Tandja to cling to power for life, was approved by a vote of 92.5 percent.
Issoufou's comment was the opposition's first public reaction following Friday's announcement of the referendum results.
"We are going to resist and fight against this coup d'etat enacted by President Tandja and against his aim of installing a dictatorship in our country," he added.
Tandja, 71, whose mandate was set to expire this year, has consistently claimed that his bid to stay in office is to fulfil "the will of the people."
In order to obtain the necessary constitutional changes Tandja has had to dissolve the country's top court and parliament, which opposed him, and has been ruling under emergency powers. - AFP