Deputies in Mauritania’s National Assembly have called for special moves that could open the way for a trial of the ousted president, national radio reported Friday.
Pro-coup deputies want to hold a special parliamentary session and name eight members to a special high court of justice, said the report.
This court could decide to try the ousted president and some of his ministers for ”grave errors” in managing state affairs.
They also want a senate inquiry commission to look into ”the management and financing” of the charity foundation of the ousted president’s wife, Khattou Mint Boukhary, the report added.
Deputy Sidi Mohamed Ould Maham confirmed that more than two-thirds of the deputies — 71 out of 95 — had officially requested the extraordinary parliamentary session, which is to be held on August 20.
That more than fulfils the terms set by the Mauritanian Constitution, which requires a simple majority in the National Assembly before such a session can be called.
Maham is a disgruntled member of ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi’s PNDD ruling party, one of a group of MPs who staged a walkout from the party just days before the coup to protest against his presidency.
On August 6, a military junta, led by the former head of the presidential guard, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, overthrew Abdallahi, who was Mauritania’s first democratically elected president.
On Wednesday 107 out of 152 of all members of Parliament — deputies in the lower house and senators in the upper house combined — said they backed the coup, as did 191 of the country’s 216 mayors.
Their statement said the coup had been carried out ”in the context of an acute political and institutional crisis” brought about by President Abdallahi who ”only listened to sycophants”.
The lawmakers called on the international community to support the coup leaders ”in their objectives to preserve the stability of the country”.
The coup, which followed months of political tension and two recent government reshuffles, has been condemned by the international community. — Sapa-AFP