President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz announced that a referendum would be held to vote for the amendment to the constitution providing notably for abolishing the senate and changing the flag. The amendments to the constitution, which has been in force since 1991, were approved by the lower house but rejected by a majority of Senate members earlier this month. But there is one way out: we will hold a referendum,” President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz told the press. One-third of the Senate is elected on a rotating basis every two yearsPresident Abdel Aziz first came to power through a military coup in 2008. After winning the presidential election in 2009, Abdel Aziz won a second term in June 2014.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 24, 2017 15:33 UTC