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Mauritanian president says has no plans to scrap term limits

October 22, 2016 at 7:20 am

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has said he will not seek a third term in office, amid opposition allegations that he planned to change the constitution to extend his rule.

A Western ally in the fight against Al Qaeda-linked Islamists in the Sahara, Abdel Aziz first came to power in a coup in 2008 and won a second five-year term in 2014. He is barred by the constitution from running again.

“I am neither ashamed nor afraid of asking to change the constitution for my personal interest. But I don’t think this would be in the interest of the country,” said Abdel Aziz, to clamorous applause at the closing of a national dialogue on constitutional reforms late on Thursday.

He cited his leadership of two coups, the first in 2005, as evidence that he would not shy away from changing the constitution if he wanted.

“I have already annulled the constitution multiple times by coup d’etats,” he said.

Scrapping term limits would enable Abdel Aziz to tread a path well worn by leaders of more than a dozen other African countries including in Uganda, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and more recently Rwanda and Congo Republic.

Mauritania has never had a peaceful transfer of power from one elected president to another, and senior officials including the justice minister have raised concerns by speaking in favour of lifting term limits.

The People’s Progressive Alliance, a major opposition party, dropped out of the national dialogue last week to protest at remarks by a government spokesman which suggested that the question of a third term would be raised, it said.

Term limits were not officially on the agenda.

The president’s statement on Thursday was well-received by both opponents and his supporters, although many have called for him to stay in power beyond 2019.

The US ambassador to Mauritania heralded the president’s move as a significant step forward for Mauritanian democracy.

“[Abdel Aziz] has earned the praise he is receiving from the Mauritanian people and the country’s foreign friends,” said ambassador Larry Andre.

The national dialogue, which ended on Thursday, resulted in several proposed changes to the constitution, including the elimination of the senate and the establishment of regional councils, which the government says will allow for better representation and governance.

The changes will be put to referendum before the end of the year, the government said.