Mauritania: Opposition, civil society demand free, fair elections

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – Mauritania’s opposition parties, trades unions and civil society organisations on Friday began a forum aimed at demanding the creation of conditions for free, fair and inclusive elections that could result in democratic and peaceful change.

The four-day Forum on Democracy and Unity (FDU), taking place at the international conference centre of Nouakchott, is being held as Mauritania prepares for presidential election in June-July this year with uncertainty of the candidacy of incumbent Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

The chairman of the Union of Forces and Progress (UFP), Lô Gourmo Abdoul, said the Forum, which has brought together a large part of the political class, many civil society organizations and most trades unions, as well as distinguished independent personalities, was a first in the country’s political history.

He said that the Forum had the goal to “create the conditions for consensual, free and fair presidential election that makes possible a dignified democratic change for the hope expressed by our people and establish a healthy political atmosphere".
-0- PANA SAS/IS/MSA/MA 28Feb2014