Mauritania to delay elections
2008-09-15 12:50
Nouakchott - Mauritania's national assembly on Sunday voted to delay presidential elections by "12 to 14 months" so as to establish constitutional order following an August 6 coup.
The assembly said in the resolution it "invites" the governing council - comprised of military officers who overthrew president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi - to prepare a "map for exiting the crisis".
The assembly underscored the "necessity to re-establish normal constitutional order and legitimacy", with the deadline for presidential elections being extended by 12 to 14 months.
The resolution was unanimously passed by deputies present on Sunday.
As the parliamentary session opened, around 52 of the 95 deputies were present - many were reported to have boycotted the session.
Drafted by deputies supporting the coup, the document proposes to create an independent electoral commission and to ban from running any military officer and anyone who has "exercised executive responsibilities susceptible of influencing voters".
The deputies also suggested the formation of a wide coalition government to govern during the transition.
House arrest
Despite being almost universally condemned by the international community, two thirds of the country's elected representatives have backed the coup led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
The AU, the UN and the Arab League in August urged Abdel Aziz and his junta to keep its promise to free the country's ousted president.
Sidi Ould Sheikh Abdallahi, the country's first democratically-elected president, has been under house arrest since the coup. His prime minister, Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf, was re-arrested on August 22 and also placed under house arrest.
A statement issued by the presidency of the state council September 1 said a 22-minister government had been formed with effect from the previous day.
That statement made no mention of a term for the government, despite earlier promises by Abdel Aziz to hold elections quickly.