Niger voters head to polls a year after coup

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Voting started Monday in Niger for presidential and parliamentary elections meant to return the country to a civilian government after a military coup last February.

Long lines formed in the capital, Niamey, hours before polling stations opened at 8 a.m. The country's 6.7 million registered voters are choosing between 10 presidential candidates, including the country's first female presidential hopeful, and will vote in 116 legislative races nationwide.

Many supported the February coup that ended the rule of President Mamadou Tandja after he stayed in office months past his legal mandate. But some doubt the vote will fully break a long cycle of coups, …