Policy of Mauritania

The Mauritania is a military République, where the chief of the Military council for justice and the democracy is at the same time Head of the State and chief of the government. The executive power is exerted by the government while the legislative power is shared between the government and the two rooms of the Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate.

The effective exercise of the capacity in Mauritania depends on the control of the resources and considerations ethnic, clannish, family and personal. The conflicts between white Moors, black Moors and other ethnicities continue to defy the national unit.

Political administration

The government is organized around the traditional ministries, of special agencies and para-étatiques companies. The Minister of Interior Department east to the head of a system of regional governors and prefects inspired of the local administrative system French. Mauritania is thus divided into 13 areas (wilaya), including the district of the capital, Nouakchott. The central government enjoys broad prerogatives, but since 1992, a series of national and municipal elections started a certain decentralization.

Political history

The Mauritania obtained its independence of France in 1960. The president Moktar Ould Daddah, put at the capacity by France, adopted in 1964 the constitution which made of Mauritania a State monopartite with authoritative presidential regime and the Parti the people Mauritanian became the only authorized party. According to Daddah, the country was then not ready for the multi-party Démocratie with the Western one. Daddah was re-elected in 1966, 1971 and 1976, before being reversed by a military coup d'etat the July 10th 1978. The country was controlled by a committee of military officers of the July 10th 1978 in April 1992.

Mauritania under Maaouiya Ould Taya

A new coup d'etat the December 12th 1984 reversed Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla and carried Maaouiya Ould Taya to the capacity. Its party, the democratic and social Republican party (PRDS), continued to dominate the political life after the first multi-party elections in April 1992 and Taya was re-elected with the report heading in 1992 and 1997. The current constitution was adopted by referendum in July 1991.

When the political parties were legalized in April 1992, two great formations of opposition emerged, the Ralliement of the democratic forces and the Action for the change, traditionally regarded as the party of the Haratin. The majority of the opposition parties boycotted the legislative elections of 1992 and the PRDS remained majority at the Parliament. The opposition took share with the municipal elections from January-February 1994 and with the elections of the Senate, where it gained a seat.

In October 2001, Mauritania knew its third legislative elections and fifth municipal elections since 1991. In front of the charges of fraud and of handling which had accompanied the preceding elections, the government took new measures, of which publication of the lists of the voters and the introduction of a not easily falsifiable voter registration card. The opposition put an end to its boycott and 15 parties designated candidates for more than 3' 000 municipal mandates and 81 seats with the National Assembly. Four opposition parties gained in all 11 seats to the National Assembly and 15% of the municipal stations. Noting the procedural changes and the profit of representation of the opposition, the majority of the local observers qualified the elections of October 2001 free and transparent ones.

The presidential election of the November 7th 2003, the third since 1992, saw to clash six candidates, whose first female candidature and haratine, and represented a varied political scene. Taya was re-elected with 67,02% of the voices, followed by Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla.

Taya recognized the State of Israel a few years before its fall and started to cooperate with the the United States in the fight against the Terrorisme, which was worth to him criticisms on behalf of ONG of defense of the Human rights, which denounced geopolitical pretexts.

Coup d'etat of 2005

The August 3rd 2005, the Military council for justice and the democracy, directed by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, reversed the government of Taya while the president was in displacement in Saudi Arabia. Benefitting from the absence of the Head of the State for the funeral of the Roi Fahd, the army, including members of the presidential guard, quickly took the control of key points of Nouakchott. The junta declared that it would remain two years with the capacity, time to set up of the democratic institutions.

Valley had been a allied close relation of Taya, supporting it at the time of the coup d'etat which carried it to the capacity then as a chief of safety. Its treason suggests that serious dissensions had appeared within the government, assumption confirmed by the support of the population for the military rebels, who easily seized the power and without bloodshed.

Initially being wary, the international community, now accepted the news gives. The mode in place did not reconsider the recognition of Israel.

Executive power

President of the Republic: Sidi Mohamed Ould Sheik Abdallahi since April 19th, 2007

Prime Minister: Zeine Ould Zeidane since April 20th, 2007

Legislative power

The Parliament is composed of two rooms, the National Assembly (95 members elected for a five years mandate in districts with single seat) and the Senate (56 members, of which 53 are elected for a six years mandate by the city council men and 3 by the Mauritanians from abroad). The members of the Senate are renewed per third, every two years. The statute of the Parliament is not clarified yet in the current location.

Political parties and elections

See also: Political parties of Mauritania, Elections in Mauritania

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