At stake in this election:

• 81 seats in the National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Interim Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR
• Assembly: Mauritania has a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate (Majlis al-Shuyukh) with 56 seats and the National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani) with 81 seats.

* President TAYA was deposed in a coup by the Military Council for Justice and Democracy led by Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL on August 3, 2005. Under the constitution approved through referendum in June 2006, the President will be elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.

Description of electoral system:

• The President Interim is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Senate (Majlis al-Shuyukh) 56 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani) 81 members are elected by absolute majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.

* Members are elected by indirect vote by municipal leaders to serve 6-year terms; a part of the seats are up for election every two years.

Main parties in the Second Round of the electoral race:

• Party: Rally of Democratic Forces / Rassemblement des Forces Démocratiques (RFD)
  • Leader: Ahmed Ould DADDAH
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 3
• Party: Progress Force Union / Union des Forces pour le Progrès (UFP)
  • Leader: Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 3
• Party: Renewed Republican Democratic Party / Parti Républicain Démocratique Rénové (PRDR)***
  • Leader: Ethmane Ould Cheikh Eby Al Maali
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 64
• Party: Popular Progressive Alliance / Alliance Populaire pour le Progrès (APP)
  • Leader: Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: N/A
• Party: Union for Democracy and Progress / Union pour la Démocratie et le Développent (UDP)
  • Leader: Naha Mint MOUKNASS
  • Seats won in last National Assembly election: 3

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 3,241,762 (2006)
• Registered Voters: 1,073,287 (2006)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,613,354 (2006)

·         Is Mauritania a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Mauritania ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (10 May 2001)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 17 (National Assembly) (following the 2006 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 156 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Mauritania a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Mauritania ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (3 April 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 486,264 (est.)