IFES Election Guide - Election Profile for Mauritania

Election Profile:

Overview

Results

Of Interest/Links

Sources

Country: Mauritania
Official Name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Election Type: Presidential
First Round: June 6, 2009
First Round: July 18, 2009

Source for election date

At stake in this election:

The office of President of Mauritania

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Ba Mamadou MBARE *
Head of Government: Prime Minister Moylaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF
Assembly: Mauritania has a bicameral Parliament (Barlamane) consisting of the Senate (Majlis al-Chouyoukh) with 56 seats and the National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani) with 95 seats.

* Mr. MBARE is currently the acting president until the election.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by majority vote to serve a 5-year term.
In the Senate (Majlis al-Chouyoukh), 53 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 6-year terms and 3 members are selected senators to serve 6-year terms*. In the National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani), 81 members are elected in single- and multi-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 14 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 5-year terms.**

* 53 members are elected by indirect vote by municipal leaders to serve 6-year terms; one-third of seats are renewed every two years. 3 members are elected by Mauritanians abroad to serve 6-year terms.

** Party lists are closed in the ordinal tier. In the nominal tier, there are 45 constituencies of varying magnitudes. In single-member districts, the electoral system is two-round. In two-member districts, the electoral system is two-round with both seats going to a party list. In districts with three or more seats, closed list proportional representation is the electoral system.

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

Mohamed Jemil Ould MANSOUR
Party: National Rally for Reform and Development / (RNRD)
Ahmed Ould DADDAH
Party: Union of Democratic Forces - New Era / Union des Forces Démocratiques-�ˆre Nouvelle
Ely Ould Mohamed VALL
Independent(s): Independent
Mohamed Ould Abdul AZIZ
Party: Union for the Republic