Military

DATE=8/25/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=MAURITANIA/POLITICS (L-O)

NUMBER=2-306822

BYLINE=SARAH SIMPSON

DATELINE=ABIDJAN

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A key opposition leader in Mauritania has been released by presidential decree after spending more than two years in prison. Sarah Simpson reports from V-O-A's west Africa bureau in Abidjan.

TEXT: The leader of the Mauritanian Popular Front, Mohamed Lenine Chbih Cheikh Malainine, has been freed under terms of a decree issued by the country's president, Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya.

Mr. Malainine was arrested in April 2001 and ordered imprisoned for five years on charges of sabotage, terrorism and being a threat to the security of the state.

He is not the only political prisoner of late to secure his release. Earlier this month, 90 soldiers who had been arrested after an attempted coup in June were also given their freedom.

The releases are being seen as a sign that President Ould Taya is seeking to calm the nation's political atmosphere ahead of presidential elections now scheduled for November 7th.

Previous elections, in 1997, were boycotted by Mauritania's radical opposition.

Despite the legalization of political parties 10-years ago, President Ould Taya has ruled Mauritania with an iron fist. He seized power in a coup, and his style of governing since has earned him increasing criticism of late, particularly from Mauritania's religious leaders.

Mauritania is a Muslim country, and its imams have considerable influence.

The upcoming elections are expected to be hotly contested. President Ould Taya has announced he is seeking a third term in office. And former president Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah, the man whom Mr. Ould Taya ousted in 1984, has announced his intention of running for the presidency.

Mr. Ould Haidallah is believed to have strong support in Mauritania's religious and business communities, and he is seen as the favorite challenger to President Ould Taya. (SIGNED)

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