THE handling of local election results in Niger contravenes the West African country’s electoral code, a supreme court judge said on Monday, as reports of criminal irregularities also emerged. Attorney-General Soly Abdourahamane said centralisation of the weekend poll results and their gradual release by the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) “did not conform with the electoral code.” As the few results CENI released early on Monday showed the opposition doing well in their strongholds, reports came in of ballot boxes being vandalised or confiscated by unknown people in civilian dress while votes were being counted on Sunday. Polling stations were set on fire in Kollo, just south of the capital Niamey, witnesses said. Lists of results were “torn up” or taken away by unhappy candidates in one of the capital’s constituencies, others said. Several local and in a “calm and transparent” atmosphere.