Election of the President of the National Assembly
The new National Assembly met for the first time on 19 June 2023, with Mohamed Ould Meguett (El Insaf) being elected as President of the National Assembly with the support of the Coordination of Parties of the Majority with an absolute majority in the first round.[6]
Lifted immunity of Mohamed Bouya Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel
On 22 July 2023 the State of Justice deputy Mohamed Bouya Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel reviewed during a parliamentary session an allegedly blasphemous text about Muhammad written by a student during the recent baccalaureate exams in the country, with Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel replacing the name of Muhammad in the text with the names of President Ould Ghazouani and his companions with Ghaxouan's ministers. Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel later wrote on Facebook that his speech "was a hypothetical projection aimed at drawing attention to the severity of the insult against the Messenger of God (PBUH) and criticizing the government's position due to its indecisiveness in arresting the abuser and reluctance to refer it to the judiciary". Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel later added on Facebook that "some in bad faith" considered his words as "unbearable", pointing out that the President of the National Assembly "prevented" him from a point of order to "clarify his position".[7]
Ruling party El Insaf and the presidential majority immediately condemned the declarations. Deputy Cheikh Mohamed Abderrahmane Moin(AND) condemned Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel's speech and asking deputies to stand up in protest, with most doing so and some hesitating between remaining on their seats and standing up. Prime Minister Mohamed Ould Bilal, who was attending the session, replied on a 24-minute-long speech to Ould Mohamed Vadel, saying that "insulting the President of the Republic under the dome of Parliament is unacceptable". El Insaf's leader Mohamed Melainine Ould Eyih also replied to Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel on Facebook, saying that what happened was "a sign of disregard for the law and contempt for democratic institutions, as well as an attack against the feelings of every Muslim citizen and every person with sound awareness".[7]
The High Authority for Press and Audiovisual (HAPA) forced Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel and the National Assembly's TV channel to delete the statement.[8]
Two days later, the Bureau of the National Assembly decided to suspend Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel for four sessions from the National Assembly.[9] Opposition deputies withdrew from the parliamentary session of that day in protest, with the President of the National Assembly Mohamed Ould Meguett confirming that the decision was "definitive" and taken by the Bureau "that represents everyone", noting that it was taken on the basis of the internal rules of the National Assembly.[10] Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel said in a live broadcast on his Facebook page he "expected to be subjected to more penalties", with him considering that the swift response of the National Assembly against him reveals that supporting Muhammad is not a "priority" for the "regime", comparing it with how the writer of the insulting Baccalaureate text wasn't judged yet.[11]
Minister of Justice Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Boya formally handed the parliament a request to lift the immunity of Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel on 24 July.[12] The National Assembly started forming the 13-member commission mandated by the inner rules of the National Assembly. According to it, El Insaf group could assign 8 deputies, the groups of the parliamentary majority (UDP, Trust and Justice) 3 deputies and the Tewassoul group and FRUD group one each.[13] FRUD, Sawab, Tewassoul and the pro-government Trust group all refused to join the committee.[14][15][16]
On 27 July the President of the National Assembly announced the names of the members appointed to the immunity lifting committee: El Insaf appointed 10 members and three pro-government groups (UDP, Trust and Justice) appointed one each.[17] Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel was summoned the next day to appear before the committee,[18] which he refused to do.[19]
The National Assembly voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of deputy Mohamed Bouya Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel, with 128 members voting in favour and 6 against.[20] The opposition boycotted the session,[21] with Hope Mauritania deputy Mohamed Lemine Ould Sidi Maouloud condemning it.[22]
A joint statement from all opposition groups criticised what they considered "the encroachment of the executive authority over the legislative apparatus", considering that the lifting of the immunity was unconstitutional as "the explicit constitutional texts provide immunity for deputies for their opinions while performing their duties, whatever the position on these opinions".[23] President of the FRUD group Kadiata Malick Diallo went as far as considering the decision as a "coup against the constitution" and a "murder of democracy". She also added that immunity lifting revealed that the legislative authority has no value against the executive authority, noting that the decision to lift immunity was made at the request of the executive authority "and the legislative authority did not object to it".[24]
"Today is a dark day in the history of the National Assembly. This is not a law debate session, nor a normal intervention session. Representatives are arrested as thieves are arrested."
Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel tried to attend the parliamentary session held the day after his immunity was lifted.[25] The police summoned him on 31 July,[26] with his lawyer reporting he wasn't allowed to meet him.[27] A video Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel recorded before his arrest was released, with him mentioning the yearly occurrence of cases of insults against Muhammad in Mauritania that went unpunished and adding "that all other tracks are not important and should not distract the Mauritanian people from defending the Prophet (PBUH)".[28]
A peaceful protest held by supporters of Mohamed Bouya in front of the Ministry of Justice was dispersed by the police, with the leader of the Kavana Movement (member of the State of Justice Coalition) Yacoub Ould Lemrabett declaring that he and young people from the movement were "subjected to repression and beatings by the police".[29]
The Judiciary Police referred the deputy to the public prosecutor on 3 August, three days after his arrest, with a request to imprison him.[30] The Public Prosecutor charged him with "publication of insult, defamation and slander against the President of the Republic".[31] An investigative judge in the wilaya of Nouakchott-Ouest rejected the Public Prosecution's request to refer deputy Mohamed Bouya Ould Cheikh Mohamed Vadel to prison, deciding to place him under judicial control instead.[32]
Suspension of Mariem Cheikh Samba Dieng
Deputy Mariem Cheikh Samba Dieng, elected under Sawab–RAG's list, was suspended from four sessions on 24 January 2024 by the Bureau of the National Assembly after calling the Prime Minister a "guardian dog of a corrupt system", extending the same denomination to the Haratin and Black Mauritanians on the government.[33] Her party RAG called for a press conference on the same day to defend their deputy, with Biram Dah Abeid saying that she didn't directly name or target the Prime Minister.[34]
Bureau of the National Assembly
The five vice-presidents and secretaries were elected on 21 June 2023.[35][36]
^"دعوة البرلمان لدورة عادية بعد غد الجمعة" [Parliament is summoned to a regular session after tomorrow, Friday]. AlAkhbar.info (in Arabic). 21 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
^"تواصل يقرر رفض المشاركة في لجنة رفع الحصانة" [Tewassoul decides to refuse to participate in the immunity lifting committee]. AlAkhbar.info (in Arabic). 25 July 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
^"انتخاب نواب رئيس الجمعية الوطنية وأعضاء مكتبها (أسماء)" [Election of the Vice-Presidents of the National Assembly and its bureau members (names)]. Essahraa Centre for Studies and Consultations (in Arabic). 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
