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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 11 2012 00:00 | LAST UPDATED Feb 11 2012 00:00 |
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Most of Mauritania's political parties on Monday joined forces to back this month's military coup, even as a rally supporting the ousting of the country's president drew thousands of people. Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR) leader Sidi Mohamed Ould Mohamed Vall said the backing by two-thirds of the country's 59 political parties "is dictated by the necessity to preserve the stability of the country and its democratic institutions". "We want national and international opinion to understand the reasons for the change on August 6, which were vital for Mauritania and for the maintenance of its democracy and its pluralism," he added of the move that toppled the country's democratically elected president, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. The support group comprises the main parties in Parliament, including the PRDR, the Union for Democracy and Progress and the Rally for Democratic Forces, accounting for the majority in the lower and upper houses. Meanwhile, up to 25 000 people gathered in Nouakchott's stadium, according to police estimates, to demonstrate their approval for Ould Cheikh Abdallahi's overthrow. The gathering demonstrates "the cohesion of the overwhelming majority of Mauritanian people in favour of the putsch", one orator said. On Wednesday, 107 members of Parliament said they backed the coup, as did 191 of the West African country's 216 mayors. On Saturday, 19 lawmakers -- three senators and 16 deputies -- came out in support of the ousted president. The international community has unanimously condemned last month's coup in which junta leader General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz seized power, and an anti-coup rally a week ago drew several hundred people. -- Sapa-AFP  CONTINUES BELOW TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
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