Ould Abdel Aziz leads an autocracy

Mahfouz Ould Betah, the head of the opposition National Democratic Congress party in Mauritania, described the current political scene in the Afrtican nation as “confusing”, since the current regime was an autocracy that "does not give way to opposition". “President Ould Abdel Aziz represents a military despotism, and is a far from being democratic,” said Betah. "The constitutional amendments do not change anything as their application and political will are more important than written laws. We live in an institutional vacuum, that makes all laws and amendments illegitimate. The majority of parties refused to participate in the farce of talks, as dialogue strengthens the existing tyranny, and gives it the legitimacy it does not deserve,” Ould Betah told Arabstoday in an exclusive interview. Betah and other opposition activists struggle to overthrow a system, that “leads the country to an unknown fate,” they say. AT: How do you see the condition in Mauritania, and what do you think of the recent constitutional amendments? MAB: It’s a confusing scene. Since the 2008 coup, the current regime has became an autocracy. The system still has the agenda of a military regime. As for the constitutional amendments, it does not provide any change. The text of the law is redundant, so the application is the only things that matters. Besides, the criminalisation of coups does not mean anything. Ould Abdel Aziz, will not be the last military person to lead a coup for power, and there will still be others waiting in line unless the army is convinced to stay away from the political scene. We, in the National Democratic Congress party, believe that coups are an impediment to development and democracy. AT: The government plans to postpone elections based on legal advice from the Constitutional Council, how do you see that? MAB: It is not about the powerless Constitutional Council, but it is the diktats of the system that control the fate of its members. From a legal perspective, the government doesn’t have the right to postpone the elections. That is not permitted by law it's a clear violation of the provisions of Article 47 of the Constitution. We now live in an institutional vacuum, which confers illegitimacy on all the laws and amendments. We have no choice but to form a national consensus, something that Ould Abdel Aziz seems not to want it at all. AT: You said earlier that the regime is autocratic, how? MAB: President Ould Abdel Aziz represents a military dictatorship, which is far from democracy. It is enough to say that he told the heads of several majority parties that he does not want advice from anyone, even the head Union for the Republic party. In addition, press freedom is not granted and only the official opinion is adopted in the media. AT: As the President of the National Democratic Congress Party, what has your party provided to the political scene, and what is your vision for the present and the future? MAB: Our party is a Mauritanian political party, and we do not claim that we have a magical solution, but our party's biased to the ordinary people, adopting their problems and issues. We believe in the values ??of knowledge and work, to restore the values ??of the society, which the military regime has replaced with hypocrisy and lying. We also believe that young people are the ones able to push this country towards development and we support them to take over in all sectors of the country. AT: What are the biggest obstacles you've faced during your term? MAB: The biggest obstacle we faced was the difference in the approach to deal with the current system. That caused three parties to drop out of a coalition out of thirteen. They decided to participate in the majority talks, in conditions we did not think was appropriate . We agreed on general principles for organising dialogue with the regime through a road map, rejected by Ould Abdel Aziz under false pretence. The insistence to participate in the talks, without a guarantee on reaching goals, leads only to a pragmatic deal with a regime that does not respect its obligations, regardless of their nature.