Democracy wars in Mauritania
by
SAMİR SALHA*

It also attracts attention because it is one of the few countries in the region that have diplomatic relations with Israel; because of this, Mauritania is strongly criticized by the Islamic world. Mauritania is also interesting in that it has witnessed 15 different coup attempts in the last three decades. The tradition by which power is handed over through military coups changed for the first time in 2007, when it was replaced by a democracy test.

Ali Walad Muhammad Fal, who came to power after a military coup in August 2005, has taken some important steps to amend the constitutions and hold free elections in 19 months; he has also declared that he would not run for candidacy in the elections, a decision appreciated by the world. Fal’s efforts paid off and general elections were held on March 25, 2007. Sidi Walad Sheik Abdullah came to power after the elections.

Despite positive efforts by the Sheik Abdullah-led government -- which took office after elections free of violence and any significant disputes on the abolishment of slavery, human rights, democratization and removal of chronic problems stemming from social, economic and racial discrimination -- some argue that bribery and corruption came to a peak during Abdullah’s term in office -- during which time he also allegedly attempted to divide the army. Critics also say that he acts under his wife’s influence.

Amid these discussions, an unexpected military operation led by Muhammad Walad Abdulaziz took place, ending Sheik Abdullah’s 15-month term. In fact, the overthrown leader Sidi Walad Sheik Abdullah introduced noteworthy reforms, took significant steps in the field of social life and economy and initiated a new process to ensure cooperation with foreign countries. However a few mistakes and wrong decisions prepared the ground for his end.

Despite the military leaders and officers who staged the coup pledging that they would hand the rule over to a civilian administration within democratic rules, the current developments do not confirm this. Muhammad Walad Abdulaziz, who led the coup, assumed a greater role in ruling the country. This shows that he will be reluctant to step out of office easily.

However there are also other internal and external factors that led to the coup. These include the following:

Ousted leader Sidi Walad Sheik Abdullah lost control because of internal disagreements within the ruling party, al-Ahad al-Watani. This led to division within the party, some members of which moved to the opposition bloc under leadership of Ahmad Walad Dadah, who also supported the coup attempt.

The overthrown leader sensed the presence of a coup plot, so he decided to redesign the military posts by reassigning Abdullah, commander of the presidential guards; this interference with the military balances was another factor behind the coup.

Walad Sheik Abdullah also attempted to secure his position by redesigning the judicial posts. In particular, his attempt to reappoint the judges in the higher courts accelerated the coup process.

Sheik Abdullah has become overconfident due to the positive remarks by international circles regarding his democratic reforms; he believed that developed countries in particular would not allow a military coup in the country. So he failed to take lessons from the similar attempts in the past.

Israel’s role cannot be overlooked in the current situation of Mauritania. The coup process accelerated when the Mauritanian administration gave signals that it would cease its unconditional support of Israel; this played great role in the toppling of Walad Sheik Abdullah.

It is interesting that new leader Abdulaziz held meetings with the American and French ambassadors shortly after the coup. This shows that the Western powers played a determinative role in the recent developments in the country. The US had previously suspended a grant in the amount of $25 million; while the EU condemned the military coup, the future developments will show the real attitude of the West.

Despite the military administration declaring that it would not announce a state of emergency, abolish parliamentary activities and ban political parties, Mauritania's future became fairly uncertain. To this end, whether the country will suffer from endless coup terms or whether it will enjoy military-civilian consensus is of great importance. The worst-case scenario, that the forces that acquired office will interrupt the democratic process, seems to be taking place.

Current discussions within Mauritania focus on the method that should be used for transition to democracy. There are disagreements over whether overthrown leader Sidi Walad Sheik Abdullah will be allowed to assume office again without facing a trial.

I think that the only thing that will end these discussions is a strong reaction by the opponents and dissidents that stand against the coup. The only thing that will save Mauritania seems to be engaged in efforts to reinstate democracy and initiate a mechanism that will prevent future military intervention. To this end, the efforts of independent media and civil society organizations should be supported. As long as the tradition of coup making remains in effect, it is obvious that the Mauritanian people and the future of the country will lose all the time.

*Dr. Salha is an instructor at Kocaeli University.