<span style="color: #222222;">Niger's ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum will face former President Mahamane Ousmane in a presidential election runoff in February.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">According to provisional results announced by the electoral commission, Bazoum led the first round with 39.33 percent of the vote, falling short of the 50 percent plus one needed to win the first round.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The commission said today that Ousmane has received 17 percent of the votes cast.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Former Prime Ministers Seini Oumarou and Albade Abouba came third and fourth with 8.95 percent and 7.07 percent of the ballots.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The second round is expected to be held on February 21 after the results of the first round have been validated by the constitutional court, which will hear any appeals.</span><br />''  <br />