The political landscape in Mauritania was recently shaken by the decision of the National Assembly office to lift the parliamentary immunity of opposition MP Biram Dah Abeid. This measure follows a complaint for defamation and slander filed by the president of the opposition party UFP.
In a video recording, Biram Dah Abeid suggested that certain candidates, including the president of the UFP, received sums of money from a businessman during the 2019 presidential campaign. This accusation provoked tensions within the opposition, highlighting worrying divisions in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections.
Lawyers for the parties involved expressed divergent positions. For Mohamed Maouloud’s lawyer, Biram Dah Abeid’s comments are slanderous and unfounded, while the MP’s lawyer claims that it is simply a matter of taking an example to illustrate a point.
This affair reveals the divisions within the Mauritanian opposition, already shaken by previous political tensions. The signing of a charter of national understanding between certain opposition parties and the ruling party had already aroused criticism, and this new affair risks accentuating divisions.
At this pivotal time for Mauritanian politics, it is essential to promote dialogue and collaboration within the opposition, in order to guarantee a stable and democratic political transition. The lifting of Biram Dah Abeid’s immunity highlights the importance of transparency and integrity in the political process, and underlines the need to find consensual solutions to internal disagreements.