Mauritania: Head of ruling party resigns

By Mohamed al-Bakay

NOUAKCHOTT (AA) – Head of Mauritania's ruling party, Union for the Republic (UFR), announced his resignation on Saturday.

Addressing the party members during its second general congress, Sidi Mohamed Ould Mham announced that he and leading members of the party resigned as a preparation for the new polls following the anticipated presidential election.

Mham called on the party members to elect new leadership for the party in the polls expected to be held following the upcoming presidential election.

UFR was established in 2009 by current President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Last year, the party ran a membership campaign that resulted in the registration of more than one million members, according to the party figures.

The opposition accuses UFR of using public funds in its election campaigns and for its own benefits, a charge which is denied by the party.

In January, President Ould Abdel Aziz said he would not run for a third term in office, citing the Mauritanian constitution, which allows only two presidential terms.

An exact date for the upcoming poll has yet to be announced, but it is expected to be held sometime before Ould Abdel Aziz's second term ends in July of next year.