Roundup: Niger's president forms cabinet of 38 ministers

Niger's newly-elected President Mahamadou Issoufou has formed a cabinet with key ministries being held by members of his party and no ministers from the opposition.

Out of the 38 ministerial positions, the ruling Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) took the lion's share of 15 key ministries.

They include the president of PNDS national political bureau, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been named Interior and Public Security Minister.

Three other confidants of President Issoufou -- Foumakoye Gado, Hassoumi Massaoudou and Saidou Sidibe -- respectively hold petroleum, defense and finance ministries.

Other important ministries of justice, planing, health and education are also headed by members from the ruling party.

Parties that supported Issoufou during the recently concluded elections were equally "paid back". This was the case for Jamahuriya party, which headed six ministries in the new government.

The former director in the office of President Issoufou, Ibrahim Yacoubou, who lost in the first round but endorsed Issoufou in the run-off poll, was named Foreign Affairs Minister.

And another 23 new ministers from allied parties have joined Issoufou's government of a five-year term, but none of them is from the opposition.

There are seven women among the ministers.

Issoufou won the elections last month, in which opposition coalition candidate Hama Amadou, a former Prime Minister, campaigned from behind bars.

Amadou was detained on suspicion of child trafficking, which he denies, and was later released on bail after the elections. Endit