Referendum to address flag and Senate impasse

A controversial amendment to Mauritania's Constitution, which would abolish the Senate and change the national flag, will be put to a referendum soon. This has been confirmed by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz who said ‘we have arrived at an impasse’. Legalbrief reports that the proposal to modify the Constitution was earlier this month approved by lawmakers in the lower house but 33 of the 56 senators rejected it. The amendment, which would see the Senate replaced by regional councils, needs to be passed by both lower and upper houses to become law. A report on the News24 site notes that the current green flag with a crescent and star symbolises the importance of Islam in the conservative republic. However, lawmakers from the ruling majority felt the nation's independence struggle was not adequately represented, according to the report.