Opposition blasts hint of third term for Mauritania leader

Nouakchott (AFP) - Mauritania's opposition has lashed out at suggestions that the country's constitution be changed to let President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz run for a third term.

Jemil Ould Mansour, leader of the Islamist Tewassoul party, said late Wednesday his party would "not take part in a charade in which the idea of changes to presidential mandates could be mooted".

His comments, referring to ongoing talks about constitutional changes, came a day after Khalil Ould Tiyeb of Aziz's Union for the Republic (UPR), said age and term limits should be "unlocked" for the presidency.

Aziz came to power in a 2008 coup, before being elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2014 promising to respect the two-term limit, saying he would "in no way" attempt to alter it.

In March a government spokesman said "the majority of Mauritanians" believed Aziz deserved a "third, fourth, or fifth term," after similar statements by the justice minister.

Following months of denials he was seeking a third stint in power, the president -- whose second term comes to an end in 2019 -- said last week that constitutional changes would be put to a referendum.

The north African nation is currently engaged in a week of "national dialogue" among political parties -- although Tewassoul is boycotting the talks.

But even parties taking part such as the moderate Popular Progressive Alliance (APP) labelled Tiyeb's suggestion a "manoeuvre" that "was not on the agreed agenda".

Many African countries have moved to overturn presidential term limits, sometimes with violent consequences.

Burundi descended into chaos in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza stood in elections for a third term.

In the Republic of Congo, President Denis Sassou Nguesso pushed through plans to change the law and give himself another term in office, while Rwandan President Paul Kagame is expected to extend his rule after citizens voted to scrap a two-term limit.

Meanwhile in DR Congo, anti-government protesters continue to rail against a scheme by President Joseph Kabila that critics say is aimed at extending his stay in power into a third term.