View source for Politics of Mauritania

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{{Politics of Mauritania}}
[[File:World_Bank_backs_Mauritania_anti-corruption_efforts_(5884126671).jpg|thumb|right|Mauritanian MPs meeting with World Bank officials in 2011.]]
[[Mauritania]] is a [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[democracy]], but has suffered from repeated military coups since its Independence in November 1960. For 18 years after independence, Mauritania was a [[one-party state]] under [[Moktar Ould Daddah]]. This was followed by decades of military rule. The first fully democratic presidential election in Mauritania occurred on [[2007 Mauritanian presidential election|11 March 2007]], which marked a transfer from military to civilian rule following the [[2005 Mauritanian coup d'état|military coup in 2005]]. The election was won by [[Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi]], who was ousted by [[2008 Mauritanian coup d'état|another military coup in 2008]] and replaced by general [[Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz]]. Mauritania underwent its first peaceful transition of power after the [[2019 Mauritanian presidential election|2019 presidential election]], although this was between two presidents of the ruling [[Union for the Republic (Mauritania)|UPR]] party and former army generals.    

Personalities have long exercised an important influence in the politics of Mauritania – the effective exercise of political power in the country depends on control over resources; perceived ability or integrity; and tribal, ethnic, family, and personal considerations. Conflict between white [[Moors|Moor]], black Moor, and non-Moor ethnic groups, centering on language, [[land tenure]], and other issues, continues to pose challenges to the idea of national unity. 

==Political administration==
The government bureaucracy comprises traditional ministries, special agencies, and parastatal companies. The Ministry of Interior controls a system of regional governors and prefects modeled on the French system of local administration. Under this system, Mauritania has 13 regions (wilaya), including the capital district, [[Nouakchott]].  

Control remains tightly concentrated in the executive branch of the central government, but a series of national and municipal elections since 1992 have produced some limited decentralization.  

==Political history==
Mauritania achieved independence from the [[French colonial empire]] in 1960.  After independence, President [[Moktar Ould Daddah]], originally installed by the French, formalized Mauritania into a [[one-party state]] in 1964 with a new [[Constitution of Mauritania|constitution]], which set up an [[authoritarianism|authoritarian]] presidential regime. Daddah's own [[Mauritanian People's Party|Parti du Peuple Mauritanien]] (PPM) became the ruling organization. The President justified this decision on the grounds that he considered Mauritania unready for western-style [[Multi-party system|multi-party democracy]]. Under this one-party constitution, Daddah was reelected in uncontested elections in 1966, 1971 and 1976. Daddah was ousted in a bloodless [[1978 Mauritanian coup d'état|coup]] on July 10, 1978.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-12-21 |title=Mauritanian President Overthrown in Military Coup |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/07/11/mauritanian-president-overthrown-in-military-coup/ba4387a3-4583-4c92-9ad4-bbf9cce386b9/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>   

A committee of military officers governed Mauritania from July 1978 to April 1992. A popular referendum approved the current Constitution in July 1991.  

===Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya's rule (1984–2005) ===
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:MaaouyaTaya.jpg|thumb|right|Former President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] -->

The ''[[Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal|Parti Républicain Démocratique et Social]]'' (PRDS), led by President [[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]], has dominated Mauritanian politics since the country's first multi-party elections in April 1992 following the approval by [[referendum]] of the current [[constitution]] in July 1991. [[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya|President Taya]], who won elections in 1992, 1997 and 2003, first became chief of state through a December 12, 1984, bloodless [[1984 Mauritanian coup d'état|coup]] which made him Chairman of the [[Military Committee for National Salvation|committee of military officers]] that governed Mauritania from July 1978 to April 1992.  

[[List of political parties in Mauritania|Political parties]] were legalized again in 1991. By April 1992, as civilian rule returned, 16 major political parties had been recognized; 12 major political parties were active in 2004. By April 1992, as civilian rule returned, 15 political parties had gained official recognition. Among the mostly small groupings, two main opposition parties emerged: 
# the [[Rally of Democratic Forces]] (RFD). 
# the [[Action for Change]] (AC)--traditionally considered the party of the [[Haratin|Haratines]]. 

Most opposition parties boycotted the first legislative election in 1992, and for nearly a decade the [[Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal|Democratic and Social Republican Party]] (PRDS) dominated the Parliament. The opposition participated in municipal elections in January–February 1994 and in subsequent elections for the Senate, gaining representation at the local level as well as one seat in the Senate. Noting procedural changes and opposition gains in municipal and legislative contests, most local observers considered the October 2001 elections open and transparent. The opposition participated in municipal elections in January–February 1994 and subsequent [[Senate of Mauritania|Senate]] elections, most recently in April 2004, gaining representation at the local level as well as three seats in the Senate.  

In October 2001, [[Mauritania]] held its third legislative and fifth municipal elections since the establishment of multi-party politics under the 1991 Constitution. In an effort to forestall the sort of widespread accusations of fraud and manipulation which had accompanied previous elections, the government introduced new safeguards, including published voter lists and a hard-to-falsify voter identification card. Reversing a trend of election boycotts, 15 opposition parties nominated candidates for more than 3,000 municipal posts and for the 81-member National Assembly. Four opposition parties won a combined 11 seats in the National Assembly and took 15% of the municipal posts. The ruling [[Democratic and Social Republican Party]] (PRDS), in conjunction with two coalition parties, won the remaining contests. See [[2003 Mauritania election]]  

Mauritania's [[2003 Mauritanian presidential election|presidential election]], its third since adopting the [[democracy|democratic]] process in 1992, took place on November 7, 2003. Six candidates, including Mauritania's first female and first [[Haratin|Haratine]] (former [[Slavery|slave]] family) candidates, represented a wide variety of political goals and backgrounds. [[Incumbent]] [[List of heads of state of Mauritania|President]] [[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] won re-election with 67.02% of the popular vote, according to the Official figures, with ex-[[Head of state|head-of-state]] [[Colonel|Col.]] [[Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla]] finishing second.  

[[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya|Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya]] recognized the [[Israel|State of Israel]], and started cooperating with the [[United States]] in [[Counterterrorism|antiterrorism]] activities.   

A group identifying itself as the [[Military Council for Justice and Democracy]] (CMJD) overthrew the Taya Government on 3 August 2005 during the absence of the President in Saudi Arabia for [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|King Fahd]]'s funeral.  The [[military dictatorship]] said it would remain in power for two years in order to allow time for implementing democratic institutions.  

===August 2005 military coup===
In August 2005, a [[2005 Mauritanian coup d'état|military coup]] led by Col. [[Ely Ould Mohamed Vall]] ended [[Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya|Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya's]] 21 years of strong-arm rule.  

On August 3, the Mauritanian military, including members of the presidential guard (BASEP), seized control of key points in the capital of [[Nouakchott]]. They took advantage of President Taya's attendance at the funeral of [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|King Fahd]] to organize the coup, which took place without loss of life. The officers, calling themselves the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, released the following statement:  

:''The national armed forces and security forces have unanimously decided to put a definitive end to the oppressive activities of the defunct authority, which our people have suffered from during the past years.'' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4741243.stm (BBC)] 

The Military Council later issued another statement naming as president Col. Ould Mohamed Vall, Director of the national police force, the ''[[Sûreté Nationale (Mauritania)|Sûreté Nationale]]'', since 1987, and listing 16 other officers as members.  

Col. Mohamed Vall was once regarded as a firm ally of the now-ousted president Sid'Ahmed Taya, even aiding him in the original coup that brought him to power, and later serving as his security chief. This high-level betrayal of the former president suggests broad discontent within the branches of local government, which is further supported by the lack of bloodshed and the population's support of the rebel militaries.  

Applauded by the Mauritanian people, but cautiously watched by the international community, the coup has since been generally accepted, while the military ''junta'' has promised to organize elections within two years.  

Parliamentary and municipal elections were held on the 19 November 2006 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6165662.stm].  

Israel's recognition by the Islamic Republic of Mauritania was maintained by the new regime.   

===Dispute with Woodside Petroleum===
In February 2006, the new Mauritanian government denounced amendments to an oil contract made by former Leader Ould Taya with [[Woodside Energy|Woodside Petroleum]], an Australian company. In 2004, Woodside had agreed to invest $US 600 million in developing Mauritania's [[Chinguetti oil field|Chinguetti offshore oil project]]. The controversial amendments, which Mauritanian authorities declared had been signed "outside the legal framework of normal practice, to the great detriment of our country", could cost Mauritania up to $200 million a year, according to ''[[BBC News]]''. Signed by Woodside two weeks after the February 1, 2005, legislation authorizing the four amendments, they provided for a lower state quota in the ''[[profit-oil]]'', and reduced taxes by 15 percent in certain zones. They also eased [[Environmental policy|environmental]] constraints and extended the length and scope of the exploitation and exploration [[monopoly]], among other measures.  

The disputed amendments were signed by former Oil Minister Zeidane Ould Hmeida in February 2004 and March 2005. Hmeida was arrested in January 2006 on charges of "serious crimes against the country's essential economic interests".  

Nouakchott's authorities declared that the government would likely seek international arbitration, which Woodside (which operated for Hardman, [[BG Group]], Premier, [[ROC Oil]], [[Fusion (oil company)|Fusion]], [[Petronas]], [[Dana Petroleum]], [[Energy Africa]] and the [[Hydrocarbons Mauritanian Society]]) also contemplated.  

Discovered in 2001, Chinguetti has proven reserves of about {{convert|120000000|oilbbl}} of oil. At the end of December 2005, authorities estimated that in 2006, the oil profits would be  47 billion ''[[Mauritanian ouguiya|ouguiyas]]'' (about US$180 million) and represent a quarter of the [[Government budget|state budget]], according to ''[[Radio France International|RFI]]''.<ref>{{cite news | title=Mauritania and firm row over oil | work=BBC News | date=February 6, 2006 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4684836.stm}}{{cite news | title=Crise ouverte avec la compagnie pétrolière Woodside | publisher=Radio France International | date=February 6, 2006 | url=http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/074/article_41704.asp}}</ref>   

===2007 Presidential election===
The first fully democratic Presidential election since 1960 occurred on 11 March 2007.  The election is the final transfer from military to civilian rule following the military coup in 2005. This is the first time the president will have been selected by [[ballot]] in the country's history.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6440597.stm | work=BBC News | title=Mauritania vote 'free and fair' | date=2007-03-12 | access-date=2010-05-22}}</ref>  

The election was won by [[Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi]].  

Slavery is still said to exist in Mauritania, some 100 years after slavery officially ended in the West and since it was officially abolished in the country in 1981.[https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070321/lf_nm/slavery_mauritania_dc_3]  

===2008 coup d'état===
On August 6, 2008, Mauritania's presidential spokesman Abdoulaye Mamadou Ba said President [[Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi]], Prime Minister [[Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef|Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghef]] and the Interior minister, were arrested by renegade Senior Mauritanian army officers, unknown troops and a group of generals, and were held under house arrest at the Presidential palace in [[Nouakchott]].<ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOO7pbj1cpN3prZXm_VhJU6BcZlw afp.google.com, Coup in Mauritania as president, PM arrested] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809142214/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOO7pbj1cpN3prZXm_VhJU6BcZlw |date=2008-08-09 }}</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7544834.stm news.bbc.co.uk, Troops stage 'coup' in Mauritania]</ref> In the apparently successful and bloodless [[2008 Mauritanian coup d'état|coup d'état]], Abdallahi's daughter Amal Mint Cheikh Abdallahi said, "The security agents of the BASEP (Presidential Security Battalion) came to our home and took away my father."<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mauritania/2509991/Mauritania-president-under-house-arrest-as-army-stages-coup.html telegraph.co.uk,Mauritania president under house arrest as army stages coup]</ref> The coup plotters are top fired Mauritania’s security forces, which include General [[Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz|Muhammad Ould ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz]], General [[Mohamed Ould Ghazouani|Muhammad Ould Al-Ghazwani]], General Philippe Swikri, and Brigadier General (Aqid) Ahmed Ould Bakri.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=22334 |title=themedialine.org, Generals Seize Power in Mauritanian Coup |access-date=2008-08-06 |archive-date=2008-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080810070231/http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=22334 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mauritanian lawmaker, Mohammed Al Mukhtar, announced that "many of the country's people were supporting the takeover attempt and the government is 'an authoritarian regime'" and that the president had "marginalized the majority in parliament."<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/renegade-army-officers-stage-coup-in-mauritania-junta-takes-control Renegade army officers stage coup in Mauritania]</ref>  

=== After the 2008 coup ===

In August 2019, former General [[Mohamed Ould Ghazouani]] was sworn in as Mauritania’s tenth president since its independence from France in 1960. His predecessor [[Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz]] ran the African desert country for 10 years. The ruling party [[Union for the Republic (Mauritania)|Union for the Republic]] (UPR) was founded by Aziz in 2009 and renamed to [[Equity Party (Mauritania)|Equity Party]] in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ghazouani sworn in as new Mauritanian president|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/ghazouani-sworn-in-as-new-mauritanian-president/1547283|access-date=2021-09-17|website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-01|title=Mauritania's new president sets down his mark|url=https://middle-east-online.com/en/mauritanias-new-president-sets-down-his-mark|access-date=2021-09-17|website=MEO|language=en}}</ref> Mohamed Ould Ghazouani's victory in the [[2019 Mauritanian presidential election]] was presented as having been the country's first [[peaceful transition of power]] since independence.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-06-22|title=First peaceful transfer of power in Mauritania's presidential polls|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20190622-first-peaceful-transfer-power-mauritanias-presidential-polls|access-date=2021-09-17|website=RFI|language=en}}</ref> In June 2024, President Ghazouani was [[2024 Mauritanian presidential election|re-elected]] for a second term.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mauritania re-elects President Ghazouani for a second term |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/1/mauritania-re-elects-president-ghazouani-for-a-second-term |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>

==Executive branch==
{{Main|Government of Mokhtar Ould Djay}}
{{office-table}}


{{end}}

==Legislative branch==
The [[Mauritanian Parliament|Parliament]] (''Barlamane/Parlement'') has two [[bicameralism|chambers]]. The [[National Assembly of Mauritania|National Assembly]] (''Al Jamiya al-Wataniyah/Assemblée Nationale'') has 176 members, elected for a five-year term in single-seat [[constituency|constituencies]]. The [[Senate of Mauritania|Senate]] (''Majlis al-Shuyukh/Sénat'') has 56 members, 53 members elected for a six-year term by municipal councillors with one third renewed every two years and 3.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-08-07 |title=Mauritania Senate abolished in referendum |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40847092 |access-date=2024-01-25 |language=en-GB}}</ref>   

==Political parties and elections==
{{main|List of political parties in Mauritania|Elections in Mauritania}}
===Presidential elections===
{{main|2019 Mauritanian presidential election}}
{{#section-h:2019 Mauritanian presidential election|Results}}
===Parliamentary elections===
{{main|2023 Mauritanian parliamentary election}}

==Administrative divisions==
Mauritania is divided in 12 regions (regions, singular – region) and 1 capital district*; [[Adrar Region|Adrar]], [[Assaba Region|Assaba]], [[Brakna Region|Brakna]], [[Dakhlet Nouadhibou]], [[Gorgol Region|Gorgol]], [[Guidimaka Region|Guidimaka]], [[Hodh Ech Chargui Region|Hodh Ech Chargui]], [[Hodh El Gharbi Region|Hodh El Gharbi]], [[Inchiri Region|Inchiri]], [[Nouakchott]]*, [[Tagant Region|Tagant]], [[Tiris Zemmour Region|Tiris Zemmour]], [[Trarza Region|Trarza]].  

==International organization participation==
[[ABEDA]], [[Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique|ACCT]] (associate), [[ACP (Lomé Convention)|ACP]], [[African Development Bank|AfDB]], [[Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development|AFESD]], [[Arab League|AL]], [[Arab Monetary Fund|AMF]], [[Arab Maghreb Union|AMU]], [[Council of Arab Economic Unity|CAEU]], [[Customs Cooperation Council|CCC]], [[United Nations Economic Commission for Africa|ECA]], [[Economic Community of West African States|ECOWAS]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[Islamic Development Bank|IDB]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|IFRCS]], [[International Hydrographic Organization|IHO]] (pending member), [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization]], [[Intelsat]], [[Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Organisation of African Unity|OAU]], [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation|OIC]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]].    

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Africa in topic|Politics of}}
{{Mauritania topics}}
{{Africa legislatures}}
{{Africa topic|Cabinet of |title=National cabinets of Africa}}
{{authority control}}

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[[Category:Politics of Mauritania| ]]