At Stake in this Election: 

• All 176 seats of the Mauritanian National Assembly 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Mohamed Ould Cheikh el GHAZOUANI (since 1 August 2019) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Mohamed Ould BILAL (since 6 August 2020) 

• Assembly: unicameral National Assembly (الجمعية الوطنية / Al Jam’iya Al Wataniya) with 176 seats

  • Prior to the 2023 election, the National Assembly had 157 seats.

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. The President may serve up to two 5-year terms. 

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. 

• In the National Assembly, 88 members are elected via absolute majority vote (up to two rounds) in a single, nationwide constituency. The remaining 88 members are elected via closed-list proportional representation vote in multi-member constituencies, including 4 overseas constituencies. All members are directly elected and serve 5-year terms. 

• Out of the 88 nationwide constituency seats, 20 seats are reserved for women, and 11 are reserved for youth (aged 25 to 30). 

Last Election: 

In 2018, the Union for the Republic (now known as El Insaf) won a majority with 89 seats. Tewassoul won 14 seats, and the remaining 50 seats were distributed among 20 other parties. Voter turnout was 50%.  

New/Unique this Election: 

In 2022, the major political parties reached an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior to change several key aspects of the electoral system and procedures. The National Assembly will expand from 155 seats to 176, with half of the members elected via proportional representation and half via absolute majority vote. New constituencies were also created in the capital, Nouakchott, and in several new departments. Assembly members representing overseas communities will be directly elected by overseas voters in four districts (Africa, Americas, Europe, Asia) rather than indirectly elected by the National Assembly. Additionally, 11 seats are now reserved for youth, and parties will be required to include at least two candidates with disabilities on one of their nationwide constituency lists. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 13 April 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A (passive voter registration system) 

Main Candidates in this Election:  

• El Insaf / Parti El Insaf – الإنصاف  

• Leader: Mohamed Maalainine Ould EYIH 

• Seats won in last election: 89 out of 157

• Known as Union for the Republic (UPR) until 2022 

• Tewassoul / Rassemblement National pour la Réforme et le Développement - تواصل (RNRD)  

• Seats won in last election: 14 out of 157

• El Karama / Parti El Karama – الكرامة 

• Seats won in last election: 6 out of 157

• Union for Democracy and Progress / Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrés - الاتحاد من اجل الديمقراطية والتقدم (UDP) 

• Seats won in last election: 6 out of 157

• National Democratic Alliance / Parti Alliance Nationale Démocratique - حزب التحالف الوطني الديمقراطي (AND)

• Seats won in last election: 6 out of 157

• Democratic Forces Rally / Rassemblement des Forces Démocratiques - تكتل القوى الديمقراطية (RFD) 

• Seats won in last election: 3 out of 157

• Sawab Party / Parti Sawab - الصواب 

• Seats won in last election: 3 out of 157

• Youth Awakening for the Nation / Sursaut de la Jeunesse pour la Nation  - الحراك الشبابي من أجل الوطن (SJN)  

• Seats won in last election: 3 out of 157

• Union of the Forces of Progress / Union des Forces de Progrès - اتحاد قوى التقدم (UFP) 

• Seats won in last election: 3 out of 157

• People’s Progressive Alliance / L’Alliance Populaire Progressiste - التحالف الشعبي التقدمي (APP) 

• Seats won in last election: 3 out of 157

• Alliance for Justice and Democracy – Renewal Movement / Alliance pour la Justice et la Démocratie – Mouvement Pour la Rénovation - (AJD/MR) 

• Seats won in last election: 1 out of 157

• El Islah / Parti El Islah - الاصلاح  

• Seats won in last election: 1 out of 157

• Hiwar / حزب حوار

• Seats won in last election: 1 out of 157

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 4,862,988 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 1,786,448 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 2,519,683 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Ratified (by accession) 10 May 2001  

• Gender Quota: 20 out of 153 National Assembly seats are reserved for women. Each party contesting the non-reserved nationwide constituency seats must also submit a separate list of 20 female candidates. 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 31 out of 153 in the National Assembly 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.556, Medium, Rank 158 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 67.7 (2023)  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Ratified (by accession) 3 April 2012  

• Projected population with a disability: 729,448 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Mauritania: Yes, programming

• Election FAQs: Yes

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes; 1 judgment and 1 resource