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Mauritania: Coup Undermines Democratic Progress


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Freedom House (Washington, DC)

PRESS RELEASE
6 August 2008
Posted to the web 6 August 2008

Washington, DC

Today’s military coup in Mauritania is a tragic setback for a country that only last year celebrated the inauguration of its first democratically-elected president after years of political repression. Freedom House urges the African Union to suspend Mauritania from its membership until the country returns to a constitutional government.

“The coup in Mauritania robs the country’s voters of their basic rights to freely elect their leaders and hold them accountable at the ballot box,” said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director. “It is a damaging blow not only to Mauritania, but also to the African continent which as a whole has seen democratic gains in recent years.”

Troops ousted President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdellahi hours after a presidential decree replaced several high-ranking army leaders. Those leaders reportedly supported members of parliament who introduced a no confidence vote in June against the president, accusing him of corruption. Abdellahi survived the vote which was followed by a walkout of 48 lawmakers from the ruling party on Monday.

Freedom House welcomes the African Union’s quick condemnation of the coup and supports its efforts to peacefully restore democratic governance in Mauritania.

“The AU statement on Mauritania represents a new trend emerging in which more African leaders are breaking their self-imposed code of silence in order to speak out in defense of democracy and human rights," said Windsor. “The AU has a pivotal role to play in advancing democratic governance on the continent.”

The African continent has seen slow but steady increases in freedom and democracy over the past three decades. In 1977, just three out of 48 sub-Saharan countries were ranked Free in Freedom in the World, Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties. In 2008, the number of Free countries rose to 11. The number of nations ranked as Not Free has fallen to 14 from 25.

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West Africa
Arms and Military Affairs
Conflict, Peace and Security
Human Rights
Mauritania

Mauritania is ranked Partly Free in the 2008 edition of Freedom in the World. The country’s rankings rose in recent years with the establishment of electoral democracy, improved civil liberties and increased political pluralism and government transparency. Press freedom improved during the same period, causing Mauritania to be ranked Partly Free in the 2008 version of Freedom of the Press.


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