A two-part constitutional referendum was held in

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

on 5 August 2017, having initially been planned for 15 July.Mauritanians to decide on July 15 whether President could extend reign
North Africa Post, 25 April 2017 Voters were asked whether they approve of proposed amendments to the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

. Both proposals were approved by 86% of voters with a voter turnout of 54%.

Proposed amendments

The referendum was split into two questions on different proposed reforms. One covered abolition of the indirectly-elected

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and its replacement with regional councils, as well as merging the Islamic High Council and the national Ombudsman into a 'Supreme Council of the Fatwa'. The second question covered national symbols, including a proposal to change the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

by adding a red band at the top and bottom to symbolize "the efforts and sacrifices that the people of Mauritania will keep consenting, to the price of their blood, to defend their territory", as well as modifying the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

Proposition de drapeau de la Mauritanie de 2017

A proposal to allow President

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ( ar, محمد ولد عبد العزيز ''Muḥammad Wald 'Abd al-'Azīz''; born 20 December 1956) is a former Mauritanian politician who was the 8th List of heads of state of Mauritania, President of Mauritania, in of ...

to run for a third term was dropped after protests in

Nouadhibou Nouadhibou (; ar, نواذيبو, Nwādībū, Berber: Nwadibu, formerly in French: ) is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 118,000 inhabitants expanding to over 140,000 in the ...

. Although 141 of the 147 members of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

voted in favour of the changes,Mauritania votes to change constitution despite widespread protests
The New Arab, 9 March 2017 they were rejected by the Senate in March 2017, with 33 of its 56 members voting against, including 24 members of the ruling Union for the Republic.Mauritania vows referendum to abolish Senate, change flag
News 24, 23 March 2017

Campaign

Former President

Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi ( ar, سيدي محمد ولد الشيخ عبد الله‎; 193822 November 2020) was a Mauritanian politician who was President of Mauritania from 2007 to 2008. He served in the government during the 1970s ...

called for voters to oppose the changes, claiming it would be a "constitutional coup".Former Mauritania president slams ‘constitutional coup’
AA, 27 March 2017 The opposition coalition, the National Forum for Democracy and Unity, also rejected the changes.Mauritanian opposition slams planned constitution vote
AA, 24 March 2017 The official campaign began on 21 July.Mauritanie : le référendum sur la révision constitutionnelle à l’épreuve de l’abstention
Jeune Afrique, 4 August 2017

Results

Constitutional reforms

National symbols

References

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2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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