Mauritanians vote in controversial charter referendum

By Mohamed al-Bakay

NOUAKCHOTT (AA) – Mauritanians went to polling stations on Saturday to vote in a controversial constitutional referendum boycotted by opposition groups.

Polling stations opened at 00:07 local time (00:07 GMT) amid tight security measures.

The proposed amendments include abolishing the upper house of parliament, or the Senate, changing the country's national flag and creating local councils for development.

Around 1.4 million Mauritanians are eligible to cast ballot in the referendum, according to official figures.

Official results are expected to be announced on Monday.

Several Mauritanian opposition parties have vowed to boycott the referendum and warned of fraud during the vote.

Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, for his part, says the proposed amendments are aimed at “promoting the country’s development and raising citizens’ standards of living”.

In March, Mauritania’s senate rejected the proposed changes, prompting the president to call for a public referendum on the issue -- to the fury of opposition parties and lawmakers.

Recent weeks have seen numerous opposition protests against the planned referendum, many of which were dispersed by Mauritanian security forces.