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Africa North

General Aziz poised to win Mauritanian presidential elections

2009-07-20

[Maghrebia] Mauritanian former junta leader General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is the presumed winner of Saturday's presidential elections after receiving 52.2% of the vote, according to the preliminary tally on Sunday (July 19th). With about half the ballots counted, four presidential candidates published a joint declaration rejecting the reported results. Speaking on behalf of Rally of Democratic Forces party chief Ahmed Ould Daddah, former junta chief Ely Ould Mohamed Vall and ex-ambassador Hamadi Ould Meimou, parliamentary speaker Messaoud Ould Boulkheir told a press conference: "The results which are starting to come out show that it is an electoral charade which is trying to legitimise the coup." He asked the international community to create a commission of inquiry. Boulkheir had 16.63 percent of the votes. Daddah was third with 13.89 percent.

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Africa North

Former Mauritanian military ruler announces presidential bid

2009-06-08

[Maghrebia] Two days after Mauritanian political rivals agreed to postpone the country's presidential elections until mid-July, Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall declared his candidature, AFP reported on Saturday (June 6th). Vall led the military coup that overthrew Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya's regime in 2005. Meanwhile, People's Progressive Alliance president Messaoud Ould Boulkheir will likely be named opposition coalition FNDD's sole candidate, Mauritanian daily Nechra reported. The opposition Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) is expected to meet Sunday to discuss their participation in the election. In related news, intense negotiations are under way to install a transitional government, PANA reported on Saturday. The measure was among the provisions in the agreement signed last Thursday in Nouakchott. Former junta leader and current presidential candidate General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz proposed three names to lead the interim government: current Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, former Prime Minister Mohamed Lemine Ould Guig and his envoy to the Senegal-led mediation talks, Sid'Ahmed Ould Raiss.

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Africa North

Sunday Pres. elections in Mauritania

2007-03-11

Mauritania will see a transfer of power from the military to a democratically-elected civilian government on Sunday when more than 1.1 million people will be called to the ballot boxes to elect their future president. "For the first time in their life, they will elect in free and transparent manner, without state interference," outgoing military junta leader Ely Ould Mohamed Vall said in an interview. Vall toppled autocratic ruler Maaouiya Ould Taya in a bloodless coup that was initially condemned by the international community until he committed to the democratic changes. "This is the moment when Mauritanians will come of age," he declared. More than 2,400 polling stations will open between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm and voting is to be observed by some 300 international poll watchers.

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Africa North

Mauritanian Normalization

2006-11-22

The promises of democratic normalization made by the Council for Justice and Democracy during the Mauritanian elections are no longer mere assurances to win the masses and gain legitimacy. These promises, however, have become commitments that reflect the vision of change. Voters going to ballot boxes today will not be an ordinary process in terms of its nature and objectives. But it is a real test of the will for change that began with toppling the regime of President Maaouya Ould Taya. Certainly, President Ely Ould Mohamed Vall did not wish to produce a political system in which he would have the strongest party and the broader control, as is the case with presidential parties that arise from within the authority. The Mauritanian Military Council scored a point when it decided to retreat after the legislative and presidential elections in a precedent that reflects the respect for the will of the voters. This marks a positive start that cuts the long way short and opens the door to the possibility of change without chaos. The President of the Military Council did not find difficulty in convincing his partners from neighboring countries, the EU, the AU, and the international monetary institutions that the price of change, if it had to be achieved through a 'coup d'etat', is not unaffordable. Actually, the intensity of electoral rivalries and the emergence of new political blocs and trends, rather reflect the desire of the Mauritanian masses for democratic normalization. The Military Council succeeded in every way to convince the masses to initiate change. The brief transitional period was not sufficient to cause another coup in relations, the role of political parties, and the activation of civil society. The great question about the commitment of the Military Council for Justice and Democracy regarding its promises of handing over power to civilians has been a major concern. It seems that the Council itself has become a judge ruling among political factions, based on the fact that it does not want to stay in power. In one way or another, this situation may have affected the formulation of the new experience in a way that does not provoke the military or instigate a confrontation, and at the same time, that does not totally support or oppose it. The future is open to all options, but the least possible option is that the military will cling to authority for one reason or another. Perhaps accurate calculations in such a process have affected the course of electoral contests in a way that restricted disclosing all intentions at once. Although the military had expressed their intention to leave the government after finishing all transitional arrangements, civilians were not in a position to speak out about all their demands. This is due to the fact that today's elections, which may need a second session to be settled, are nothing but a rehearsal of what will be the situation in presidency, regulated by extremely influential internal, regional and international considerations.

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Africa North

Mauritania sentences natives for attempted coup

2006-07-20

(SomaliNet) Mauritania’s government has charged five of its natives for allegedly trying to take over Mauritania’s current government. Their crime was interfering in a bid to impose term limits for Mauritania’s presidents. The five are comrades of former Mauritania’s president, Maaoya Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya. “The five accused were charged with plotting to reverse the constitutional order," said Mauritania’s prosecutor, Ben Amar Ould Veta. The five were sentenced to different sentences with some sentenced to spending their remaining lifetimes behind bars in a Mauritania prison. Among the accused is a former advisor attached to Mauritania’s Defense ministry. He is said to be a close pal of ex Mauritania’s president. Mauritania has been under the leadership of Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, who saved the natives of Mauritania from the oppressive rule of Taya. Taya served as Mauritania’s president for 21 years.

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Africa North

Mauritania: Ousted leader may return

2006-04-19

Mauritania's military head of state has opened the door for Maaouiya Ould Taya, the deposed former president in exile in Qatar, to return home but not to take part in forthcoming elections. Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall said on Al-Arabiya on Tuesday that his predecessor had "the right to live in his country as a free citizen and to benefit from the advantages which the law grants to former heads of state". Taya was ousted from power in a bloodless coup in August 2005 by the now ruling Military Council for Justice and Democracy (CMJD) while he was visiting Saudi Arabia. He now lives in Qatar.

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Africa: North

Mauritanian strongman pledges to fight terrorism

2005-10-09

The leader of Mauritania's new military junta pledged on Sunday to maintain the country's international commitments to fight terrorism, which have included U.S. military training for Mauritanian troops. Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, head of the military council that ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya in a bloodless coup in early August, said combating terrorism would protect Mauritania's own security. "Terrorism is contrary to our own values," he said in his first public news conference since the 17-member military junta seized power in Mauritania, which straddles black and Arab Africa and is due to start pumping oil next year. "We'll do everything possible to ensure it does not take root in Mauritania and we will respect all our international engagements in the fight against this phenomenon," he added. The news conference began late on Saturday and ended in the early hours of Sunday. Although Mohamed Vall did not specifically mention the United States, his words appeared aimed at reassuring Washington that it could still count on Mauritania's cooperation in efforts to stop the spread southwards of radical Islamic militants across the Sahara desert. Following the August 3 coup, Washington initially called for the return of Taya, who had ruled for more than 20 years. But later, realising the extent of popular support for the coup, it said it was prepared to work with Mauritania's new rulers if they kept their promise to organise transparent elections. Mohamed Vall said the junta would only modify its previously announced programme to hold a referendum on constitutional reforms in a year and elections within two years if Mauritanians wanted such a change of plan. He said there would be no "witch hunt or settling of scores" against the ousted president and his supporters. Asked if Taya, who was abroad when the coup occurred, could return, Mohamed Vall said he was a Mauritanian citizen who had the right to participate in national politics. "The important thing is to turn the page," he told the packed news conference, speaking in both French and Arabic. The junta last month declared a general amnesty for political prisoners, freeing dozens of former coup plotters and Islamist politicians. Mauritanians welcomed the releases. But the amnesty did not cover a hard core of around 20 suspected Islamist extremists who have remained in detention. Some of these are suspected of receiving military training in Algeria from the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), a movement which has pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and is listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation. "Their case is in the hands of the justice system, which must make its decision," Mohamed Vall said. In another apparent warning to extremists, he said the junta would not allow any party to exclusively claim to represent Islamic interests. "Mauritania is an Islamic country, it's written in our constitution ... Islam cannot be the monopoly of any political party," he said.

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Africa: North

US resumes full dealings with Mauritania

2005-08-23

he United States has resumed dealings with Mauritania after a bloodless coup earlier this month ousted one of the main U.S. allies on the West African front of the global war on terror. Washington initially stood beside the African Union in denouncing the coup, but has since opted to recognize the new government. "The guys running the country right now are the guys we are dealing with, because they are the ones making the decisions," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said. Former President Maaouiya Ould Taya was overthrown Aug. 3 by a 17-member military junta while out of the country. He had prevailed in three other coup attempts over the past two years. The group of senior officers, many of whom were elemental in bringing Mr. Taya to power more than two decades ago, said his ruthless treatment of Islamist leaders and other political opposition threatened to destabilize the soon-to-be oil-rich nation of 3 million. The new head of state, Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, has pledged that democratic elections will be held within two years and that no military officers would be eligible to run. Opposition groups have already met with the new government and 21 political prisoners were freed last week, giving hope to citizens that democracy may be on the horizon. Mr. Taya, now exiled in Gambia, had been enlisted as a key partner in the newly upgraded seven-year, $500 million Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Initiative (TSCTI). In June, U.S. military personnel began training and border-control exercises with troops from Mauritania and eight other Saharan countries where vast and lawless swaths of desert are believed to be a potential haven for terrorists. Mauritanian requests for a significant share of U.S. funding were given a boost when 15 soldiers were killed during a June 4 raid on a remote army outpost. But many analysts have long insisted that pariah regimes like Mr. Taya's exploited U.S. fears to gain military handouts. "For Mauritania, the Islamists have become a useful alibi to request support from the West," said a recent report by the International Crisis Group, an influential Brussels-based think tank. Jeremy Keenan, a British expert on the Sahara, believes Mauritania is not alone. He told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the timing of the Mauritanian border attack, which occurred the day after the first phase of the TSCTI began, was "too great a coincidence." Mr. Keenan called the GSPC a "pseudonym for the Algerian Security Services." Analysts have further argued that if the U.S. continues to be perceived as reinforcing authoritarian regimes, anti-terror efforts could backfire and prompt moderate Saharans to sympathize with Islamic radicals.

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Africa: North

AU members in Mauritania for talks

2005-08-10

A delegation from the African Union has arrived in Mauritania to urge leaders of last week's coup to restore constitutional order to this oil-rich nation. While they're there, I hope they asked the colonels or generals or whatever they are to overthrow that guy in Niger, too... The 53-nation body condemned the 3 August coup and suspended Mauritania's membership of the organisation, but has stopped short of calling for exiled President Maaouiya Sid Ahmed Ould Taya to be restored to office. Taya, who had ruled since a 1984 coup, was widely unpopular and most Mauritanians welcomed his ousting. The African Union (AU) delegation includes Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji, South African Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula and an official of the African Union Commission. They are expected to meet the newly declared president, Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, and other leaders of last week's coup. Nigeria holds the chairmanship of the AU, and South Africa is this month's head of the organisation's Peace and Security Council. Speaking in an interview on Monday broadcast on the Arabic news channel Al-Arabiya, Taya vowed he would return to power and called on his country's armed forces to reverse the coup. Taya issued orders "in my capacity as president of the republic to the armed forces to restore the natural order and put an end to this crime. I am determined to return to Nouakchott to continue the job of building our nation." I hate to say this, but I think you've been fired. Taya on Tuesday left the west African state of Niger where he had been given refuge and headed for The Gambia, an aide of Niger President Mamadou Tandja said. Taya, who was toppled by top army brass while he was abroad on Wednesday, left for Banjul, the capital of the tiny West African state, he added. The Gambia, a narrow strip of land that is surrounded on three sides by Senegal, is an English-speaking state that does not have a border with Mauritania.

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Africa: North

Mauritanian PM hands in resignation to coup leaders

2005-08-08

NOUAKCHOTT - Mauritanian Prime Minister Sghair Ould M’Bareck, who had remained in post after a military coup in the northwest African state, on Sunday handed in his ceremonial sash, parking pass, executive washroom keys and resignation as well as that of his government, sources close to the presidency said. Seeing as he wasn't needed any more ... Ould M’Bareck announced his resignation following a meeting with Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, the head of the ruling Military Council for Justice and Democracy that was set up after last Wednesday’s coup. "I'll go quietly. Don't shoot!" The new regime has promised to hold a referendum on a revised constitution within a year, followed by presidential and parliamentary elections that should take place within two years at the most. Following the announcement, Vall immediately summoned Sidy Mohamed Ould Boubacar, a leader of the former ruling Social Democratic Republican Party (PRDS), the sources said. Boubacar, who served as prime minister under ousted President Maaouiya Ould Taya, and later as ambassador to France, is widely tipped to head the transitional government that is to be set up to see the country through to new elections. Under a constitutional charter adopted by the Military Council on Saturday, the Council head exercises executive power and nominates the prime minister and members of the transitional government. "We'll nominate you to be PM, but we're keeping the parking card for ourselves."

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Africa: North

Mauritania Junta Names New Prime Minister

2005-08-08

Mauritania's self-declared head of state on Sunday named a new prime minister to replace the former premier who resigned along with his Cabinet after last week's coup. A judge freed 21 people who had been detained for plotting against the ousted regime, a U.S. ally. Junta leader Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall named Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar as prime minister, the government said in a statement. The 49-year-old Boubacar returned to Mauritania on Saturday from France, where he had been serving as ambassador since 2004.

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Africa: North

Mauritanian Mr. Big pledges junta members won’t stand in elections

2005-08-07

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - This desert nation’s new military strongman has assured politicians that no member of the 17-man junta that seized power this week will stand in elections they say will take place in less than two years. "Unless the people need me, of course." Ahmed Ould Daddah, a top politician who heads the opposition Rally of Democratic Forces, said coup leader Ely Ould Mohamed Vall made the pledge during a meeting Saturday with heads of more than 30 political parties in the capital, Nouakchott. Vall also promised that elections would be held after a “transition period that will not last longer than two years,” Ould said. And if you can't believe an African military thug who's just seized power, who can you believe?

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