In Mauritania, an important step was taken this Thursday with the signing of a charter of national understanding between the government, the ruling party El Insaf, and two historic opposition parties, the RFD and the UFP. This initiative aims to open a dialogue and define a common roadmap less than a year before the presidential election in June 2024.
The signing ceremony took place in the former convention center and marks a desire for reconciliation and appeasement between the country’s different political forces. This charter provides for discussions around 18 major themes, such as national unity, political, economic and electoral governance.
For Mohamed Yahya Horma, vice-president of the El Insaf party, this initiative is a way to achieve something positive for the country: “Everyone stays in their camp but together, we can move things forward.” He thus underlines the importance of uniting political forces to face the challenges and issues facing Mauritania.
The preparation of this charter was marked by disagreements and tensions between the different opposition parties. However, it was essential for these political actors to put aside their differences to find common solutions to the problems affecting the country. Gourmo Abdoul Lo, vice-president of the UFP, believes that this initiative is all the more necessary after the contested conduct of the last legislative elections: “It is time to reform the current system which has shown its limits. This charter allows us to raise concrete problems.
On the other hand, certain opposition parties, such as the Republican Front for Unity and Democracy (FRUD), deplore not having been informed of the final draft of the charter before its signature. They question the inclusiveness of this approach but remain open to dialogue.
This signing of the charter of national understanding marks a significant step forward in the democratic process in Mauritania. By bringing together the different political forces, it makes it possible to open dialogue and build a common roadmap for the future of the country. It remains to be seen whether other opposition parties will join this movement and whether the discussions will lead to concrete reforms with a view to the presidential election of 2024. The path is traced, all that remains is to travel it together.