Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz reaffirmed his “determination to respect the Constitution of the country and his rejection of any constitutional amendment violating Articles 26, 28 and 99 of the Constitution”.
These articles set the number of presidential terms to two of five years each. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is about to finish two successive terms (2009 – 2014 and 2014 – 2019).
His statement comes as members of the ruling majority have submitted to the other parliamentarians for signature a petition to amend the Constitution and remove the limitation of the number of presidential terms.
In his statement, the Mauritanian head of state urges “an end to all initiatives related to the change of the above-mentioned articles of the Constitution”. However, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz acknowledged that the initiative of parliamentarians “is driven only by good faith and a sincere intention to see the country continue its uninterrupted progress and development, in a climate of security and stability.”
“The achievement of this objective requires the preservation of the model currently being implemented in the management of public affairs,” the Mauritanian president said.
This model, he advocated, “must continue as the prime reference of the state, regardless of who is running the country.”
This is not the first time that Ould Abdel Aziz says that he is not seeking a third term, even if members of the political class continue to question his statements.