Mauritanian constitutional referendum, 2017

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A two-part constitutional referendum was held in Mauritania on 5 August 2017, [1] having initially been planned for 15 July. [2] Voters were asked whether they approve of proposed amendments to the constitution. Both proposals were approved by 86% of voters with a voter turnout of 54%. [3]

Mauritania Islamic republic in Northwest Africa

Mauritania is a country in Northwest Africa. It is the eleventh largest sovereign state in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the southwest.

Constitution of Mauritania

The current Constitution of Mauritania was adopted on 12 July 1991. There have been several constitutions since Mauritania's independence in 1960.

Contents

Proposed amendments

The referendum was split into two questions on different proposed reforms. One covered abolition of the indirectly-elected Senate and its replacement with regional councils, as well as merging the Islamic High Council and the national Ombudsman into a 'Supreme Council of the Fatwa'. [4] The second question covered national symbols, including a proposal to change the national flag by adding a red band at the top and bottom to symbolize "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory", [5] as well as modifying the national anthem. [6]

Flag of Mauritania national flag

The flag of Mauritania is a green field containing a gold star and crescent, with a red stripe at the top and bottom of the field. The original national flag was introduced under the instructions of President Moktar Ould Daddah and the constitution of 22 March 1959 and was adopted on 1 April 1959.

The national anthem of Mauritania, also known by its incipit "Bilada-l ubati-l hudati-l kiram", was adopted on 16 November 2017 and was composed by Rageh Daoud.

Proposed national flag Flag of Mauritania.svg
Proposed national flag

A proposal to allow President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to run for a third term was dropped after protests in Nouadhibou. [7]

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz Mauritanian leader

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is a Mauritanian politician who is currently the President of Mauritania, in office since 2009. A career soldier and high-ranking officer, he was a leading figure in the August 2005 coup that deposed President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, and in August 2008 he led another coup, which toppled President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Following the 2008 coup, Abdel Aziz became President of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election. He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He was sworn in on 5 August 2009.

Nouadhibou Commune and town in Dakhlet Nouadhibou Region, Mauritania

Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial center. The city itself has about 118,000 inhabitants expanding to over 140,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 65-kilometer peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of which the western side, with the Moroccan city of La Güera, is part of Western Sahara. Nouadhibou is consequently located merely a couple of kilometres from the border between Mauritania and Morocco de facto, Western Sahara de jure. Its current mayor is Elghassem Ould Bellali, who was installed on 15 October 2018.

Although 141 of the 147 members of the National Assembly voted in favour of the changes, [7] they were rejected by the Senate in March 2017, with 33 of its 56 members voting against, including 24 members of the ruling Union for the Republic. [5]

National Assembly (Mauritania) National Assembly of Mauritania

The National Assembly is the legislative house of Parliament of Mauritania. The legislature has 157 members, elected for five-year terms in single or two-seats constituencies. From 1961 until 1978, the only legal party in the country was the Mauritanian People's Party. The legislature was disbanded after the 10 July 1978 coup. In 1992, a bicameral legislature was established, consisting the National Assembly and Senate of Mauritania. In the 1990s, a multiparty system was introduced in Mauritania. However, the Democratic and Social Republican Party dominated the parliament until a coup in 2005. The first truly democratic elections were held in 2006.

Union for the Republic (Mauritania)

The Union for the Republic (UPR) is a political party in Mauritania. The party was formed in 2009 by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz after he resigned from the military to run for President of Mauritania. Aziz resigned as chairman of the party on 2 August 2009 after winning the presidential election, as the President of Mauritania cannot be a member of any party. The party also won 13 of the 17 seats up for re-election to the Mauritanian Senate in 2009, giving the UPR control of a total of 38 of the 53 Senate seats.

Campaign

Former President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi called for voters to oppose the changes, claiming it would be a "constitutional coup". [8] The opposition coalition, the National Forum for Democracy and Unity, also rejected the changes. [9] The official campaign began on 21 July. [4]

Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi President of Mauritania

Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi is a Mauritanian politician who was President of Mauritania from 2007 to 2008. He served in the government during the 1970s, and after a long period of absence from politics he won the March 2007 presidential election, taking office on 19 April 2007. He was deposed in a military coup d'état on August 6, 2008.

Results

Constitutional reforms

ChoiceVotes%
For584,08485.61
Neutral30,0394.40
Against68,1249.99
Invalid/blank votes64,408–
Total746,655100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,389,09253.75
Source: Al Akhbar

National symbols

ChoiceVotes%
For573,93585.67
Neutral28,8944.31
Against67,14610.02
Invalid/blank votes76,314–
Total746,289100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,389,09253.72
Source: Al Akhbar

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The following lists events in the year 2017 in Mauritania.

References

  1. ↑ Mauritania: Constitutional referendum postponed to 5 August Jeune Afrique, 9 June 2017
  2. ↑ Mauritanians to decide on July 15 whether President could extend reign North Africa Post, 25 April 2017
  3. ↑ Mauritanie - Référendum constitutionnel : la CENI proclame les résultats Al-Akhbar, 7 August 2017
  4. 1 2 Mauritanie : le référendum sur la révision constitutionnelle à l’épreuve de l’abstention Jeune Afrique, 4 August 2017
  5. 1 2 Mauritania vows referendum to abolish Senate, change flag News 24, 23 March 2017
  6. ↑ Mauritania's referendum set for July 15 APA News, 20 April 2017
  7. 1 2 Mauritania votes to change constitution despite widespread protests The New Arab, 9 March 2017
  8. ↑ Former Mauritania president slams ‘constitutional coup’ AA, 27 March 2017
  9. ↑ Mauritanian opposition slams planned constitution vote AA, 24 March 2017
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