UNITED NATIONS,July 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced deep concern over the political and constitutional crisis in Niger, calling for restraint and political dialogue to resolve the issue.

    In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban said he is "deeply concerned about the ongoing political and constitutional crisis in Niger, which threatens to destabilize the country and undermine the progress made in recent years to consolidate democratic governance and the rule of law."

    Ban expressed regret at the most recent decisions taken by the Niger government, which he said "have made it extremely difficult for the country's democratic institutions and the Constitutional Court to play their roles as guarantors of the rule of law."

    Niger's President Mamadou Tandja on Monday reshuffled the government and dismissed the Constitutional Court following the dissolution of National Assembly in late May.

    Tandja took office in November 1999 and was reelected in 2004. In a bid to retain presidency, Tandja, whose legal term limit ends in December, proposed a referendum in April to amend the Constitution but was turned down by the Constitutional Court.

    Ban also offered his good offices to work with regional partners, in particular the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to find a solution to this political crisis.