Mauritania will be hoisting new flag after the 86 percent of voters on August 5th made the choice. The voters also consented to the removal of the senate, reports Quartz.
The citizens made the decision at the ballot on the two constitutional amendments in a national referendum called on by the Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
Although there was a vocal campaign by the opposition against the amendments 54 percent of the eligible voters that turned up for the polls passed them both.
Mauritania’s flag has an Islamic star and crescent moon on a green background, the new flag will add two red stripes at the bottom and top to symbolize the blood of patriots in the country’s struggle against their French colonizers 57 years ago.
Mauritanians also abolished their national senate in favor of regional councils. In the referendum, the citizens agreed to the formation of the Supreme Council of the Fatwa, that is a merge of High Court of Justice, the Islamic High Council, and the Ombudsman of the Republic.
“These changes gives more executive power to Abdel Aziz—a privilege opponents fear the sitting president will use to extend his term and effectively transform the democratic country to into an authoritarian state. Abdel Aziz, a former military general who was allegedly involved in two different coup d’état in Mauritania in the 2000s , denies that he will run for a third term,” says Quartz.
