05/08/2008
Half of the Mauritanian parliament resigned from the ruling National Pact for Democracy and Development (PNDD) party on Monday (August 4th), international press reported. The 25 deputies and 23 senators issued a declaration of their mass resignation to form a new political party. One member of the group, Sidi Mohamed Ould Maham, was quoted as saying by AFP that President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, had "disappointed the hopes of Mauritanians". The democratic process "has been diverted from its normal course", he said, citing alleged "misappropriation of public funds". With the resignation, the PNDD loses its majority in the parliament.