NIAMEY, Niger — President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger stood for reelection in the West African nation on Sunday, touting his record of defending the country from Islamic extremists as he vied against 14 other candidates for a second five-year term.

Issoufou’s supporters say he deserves a second term because of his success in preventing militants from setting up a base in the country, as they have in neighboring Mali.

But Boko Haram has hit Niger’s southeast region for more than a year, and recent high-profile attacks by Al Qaeda’s North Africa branch in the capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso have raised fears that Niamey may soon be targeted.

Issoufou’s strongest opponents include former prime ministers Seyni Oumarou and Hama Amadou. If no candidate earns more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will have a runoff.

In the Central African Republic on Sunday, Faustin Archange Touadera, a former prime minister, was declared the winner of the Feb. 14 runoff vote for president, getting nearly 63 percent of the vote.

Associated Press