Election Profile:

Flag of Mauritania 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-Ère Nouvelle
  • Ely Ould Mohamed VALL
    Independent(s): Independent
  • Mohamed Ould Abdul AZIZ
    Party: Union for the Republic

Population and number of registered voters:

  • Population: 3,129,486 (July 2009 est.)
  • Registered Voters: N/A

Last Updated on 06/04/2009