[3] Parliamentary elections in January 1995 resulted in cohabitation between President Mahamane Ousmane and a parliament controlled by his opponents, led by Prime Minister Hama Amadou.

[4] Rivalry between Ousmane and Amadou effectively paralyzed the government, and Maïnassara seized power on 27 January 1996,[4] pointing to the difficult political situation as justification.

[5][7] He imposed conservative Islamist laws that included the banning of short skirts and a crackdown on the sale of contraceptives, while also introducing economic reforms and signing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

[10] On 9 April 1999, Maïnassara was ambushed and shot to death by soldiers, reportedly members of the Presidential Guard, at the airport in the capital city of Niamey as he was going to board a helicopter.

[12][13][14] Coup leader Daouda Malam Wanké succeeded him as head of state and initiated a political transition that ended with elections late in the year.