Mauritanians and political circles in the country are awaiting the announcement of the formation of the new government, after President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani renewed confidence in the Prime Minister, Mokhtar Ould Ajay, and commissioned him on Friday evening to submit a proposal for its formation.
This came hours after the president received the government’s resignation on the same morning, which is the fifth since he came to power in 2019 and the first in his second term. Ould Ajay said, in a press statement after meeting with the president: “His Excellency’s trust is precious, and it is a trust,” stressing that he will “immediately work” on preparing the proposal to form the government.
Ould Ajay, citing the president's directives, identified 4 characteristics of the new government, stressing the need for it to possess “the political and technical competence to continue implementing an ambitious program for the nation,” which is the electoral program presented by Ould Ghazouani in the 2024 presidential elections.
Ould Ajay said that the next government must be “able to confront the challenges of the current global crisis,” especially “strengthening the safety net,” which allows lower-income citizens to confront its effects. Ould Ajay did not specify the nature of the crisis, but Mauritania is facing crises in the rise in fuel and food prices.
The Prime Minister stressed that the prospective government must create “real dynamism and hope” in the training, employment, involvement and empowerment of youth, especially since President Ould Ghazouani confirmed after his election as president in 2024 that his mission will be a “youth mission,” raising the slogan “Empowering the Youth.”
The Prime Minister also stressed that the prospective government must be “able to create local development in cities and rural areas.”
Mauritanians are awaiting the names of the members of the prospective government, amid widespread speculation on social media, while local media are talking about an amendment that may go beyond renewing the team to include the redistribution of portfolios, and perhaps the reorganization of some vital sectors.
Private sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Prime Minister spent several hours in his office since yesterday evening, and returned this morning, to conduct consultations to form the new government, while some sources expect it to be announced on Saturday evening.
The new government will be formed in a climate burdened with several issues. There is a national dialogue that the authority and the majority say is “without prohibitions,” and its supervision committee is still being finalized, and a debate within the ruling party about demands for the president to remain in power after the end of his term, which the opposition rejects because it conflicts with the current constitution.
In addition, the inflation rate rose to 8.9 percent, according to Central Bank data, and on September 18, the International Monetary Fund mission ended its visit without a financing agreement. The crises also worsened with rain that flooded schools and roads in the capital. All eyes are on whether the new formation will deal firmly with the recommendations of the investigation report into the electricity fires.
The government's resignation, which some described as "sudden," came the day after the president received, on Thursday, the report of an independent investigation committee into two fires that broke out on August 21 and 22 in two electrical substations belonging to the Mauritanian Electricity Company (Somalek) in Nouakchott, plunging parts of the capital into darkness for days.
The committee, headed by former Minister Ousmane Mamoudou Kan, concluded that there was a direct link between the two fires and three new 33-kilovolt connections that entered service days before they occurred. But it did not specify the exact technical mechanism, nor that the cable used was the direct cause.
The committee assigned “institutional, functional and contractual” responsibilities to entities and personalities, including the Minister of Energy and Oil, Mohamed Ould Khaled; Due to a failure to follow up on the agreement, “Somlak” officials and two contracting companies.
Egypt reacted quickly to the European Parliament's movements against the Brotherhood, calling for a greater collective stance against the organization, which Cairo has banned since 2013, and the circles of persecution against it have recently expanded at the Arab and international levels.
Experts who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat believe that “the European steps against the organization confirm the correctness of the Egyptian vision adopted years ago, especially since it intersects with the necessity of dismantling extremist networks and confronting the recycling of their various facades.”
Last Thursday evening, the European Parliament approved “a resolution calling on the member states of the Union to develop a joint strategy to combat the Brotherhood’s networks.”
Official Egyptian media quoted an informed Egyptian source as saying, “The European Parliament’s decision reflects the international community’s growing awareness of the danger of the Brotherhood and its terrorist practices and ideology, especially the organization’s hiding behind other activities and organizations to gain the sympathy of Western societies.”
The source indicated in statements, on Friday evening, that “the decision places responsibility on member states to take a collective position in this regard,” calling for “a comprehensive review of European funding for persons and entities associated with the banned organization, in what constitutes an official recognition of its terrorist nature.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visited Indonesia, on the third leg of his Asian tour that included South Korea and Malaysia.
Last July, Egypt confirmed its “aspiration for investment cooperation with Indonesia in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.” As well as “the importance of working to improve the rates of mutual trade and investments between the two countries in a way that reflects the level of the strategic partnership.”
On Saturday, the Egyptian President left Malaysia after meeting with its king, Sultan Ibrahim, at the Malaysian National Palace “Astana Negara”, who presented him with the “Dargah Utama Sri Mahkota Negara” medal, which is the “Supreme Crown of State Medal” in Malaysia, which is considered the highest federal medal given to heads of state, foreign princes, and “most distinguished” personalities.
The King of Malaysia said: “The visit of the Egyptian President represents a strong boost to the extended relations between the two countries,” noting “the Malaysian side’s keenness to advance bilateral cooperation with Egypt in various fields of common interest.” While Sisi stressed “the importance of strengthening the partnership between the two countries in many areas of common interest, and establishing a practical framework to advance cooperation, especially in the economic, trade and investment fields, as well as intensifying political consultation and joint coordination in multilateral forums on regional and international issues, and issues of concern to Islamic countries.”
