Abdel Aziz appointed Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, a former ambassador, as Prime Minister on August 14, 2008. Laghdaf was already closely associated with Abdel Aziz, and some suggested that he might have been appointed in hopes that doing so would help international relations due to Laghdaf's diplomatic service in the European Union. Waghef said at a news conference on the same day that this appointment was "illegal" and that the government he had headed was still the legitimate government. It was reported on August 15 that 71 out of 95 deputies were in favor of holding an extraordinary session of Parliament on August 20, with the intention of appointing members to a special court; this could in turn lead to a trial of Abdallahi and some of the ministers who had served under him for alleged mishandling of state affairs. On August 16, a group of 19 members of Parliament—three senators and 16 deputies—announced that it was seeking the restoration of Abdallahi to the presidency. According to Mohamed Moustapha Ould Bedredine, a deputy who spoke on the group's behalf, the group had more support than their numbers suggested. Abdel Aziz made his first broadcast to the nation on August 17. He affirmed that a new presidential election would be held "as soon as possible", but he did not give a specific date. In this speech, Abdel Aziz promised to fight hard against terrorism and corruption; he also accused Abdallahi of failing to act against corruption and said that Abdallahi had handled the economy very poorly. On the same day, 26 members of Parliament who supported the coup announced their resignations from the PNDD-ADIL party. On August 18, two-thirds of Mauritanian political parties—including major parties such as the RFD, the Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (PRDR), and the Union for Democracy and Progress—grouped together to support the coup. According to PRDR leader Sidi Mohamed Ould Mohamed Vall, this was "dictated by the necessity to preserve the stability of the country and its democratic institutions", and he described the coup as "vital for Mauritania and for the maintenance of its democracy and its pluralism". Also on August 18, a pro-coup gathering, in which an estimated 25,000 people participated, was held in Nouakchott. RFD leader Daddah said on August 19 that there was "a good chance" that his party would participate in the government headed by Laghdaf.