Its envoy, Ahmed ben Hilli, annoyed friends of the ousted president by suggesting that he had been reassured by General Abdelaziz's promise to hold new elections in due course.

ECONOMIST: Mauritania

And it is surely not outrageous for Mr Chavez to want a new legislature elected in due course: despite their almost total lack of public support, the traditional parties hold around a third of the seats in the current Congress.

ECONOMIST: Chavez��s blank cheque