Incumbent president Mahamadou Issoufou completes his second term in 2021 and has publicly committed to stepping down, paving the way for the country's first potential peaceful transition of power since independence.[4] A record number of 41 candidates applied to run for president, but only 30 were accepted. Included in the 11 rejected candidates was Hama Amadou, candidate of the main opposition party, whose application was denied by the constitutional court due to his previous imprisonment for a year in a case of baby trafficking. Amadou who came second in the 2016 and third in the 2011 elections has denied all the charges and claimed they were politically motivated.[5][6]