Elections in Mauritania encompass four different types: presidential elections, parliamentary elections,

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

elections and local elections. This article only lists elections held after the introduction of multi-party politics with the 1991 Constitution, introduced after a referendum. During the authoritarian regime of Ould Daddah elections that were not up to democratic standards were held under a

one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...

, while elections weren't held during a period of military junta rule after Mauritania's participation in the

Western Sahara War The Western Sahara War ( ar, حرب الصحراء الغربية, french: Guerre du Sahara occidental, es, Guerra del Sahara Occidental) was an armed struggle between the Sahrawi indigenous Polisario Front and Morocco from 1975 to 1991 (an ...

. Mauritania has a presidential election every five years, in which a

President of Mauritania This is a list of heads of state of Mauritania since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of nine people have served as head of state of Mauritania (not counting one Acting President). Additionally, o ...

is elected in two rounds on the basis of a direct popular vote. Parliamentary elections for the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

are held every five years with a parallel voting system combining several national lists and an electoral district vote, with a

two-round system The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...

used for one-seat districts, a general ticket used for two-seat districts, with larger districts using the proportional

largest remainder method The largest remainder method (also known as Hare–Niemeyer method, Hamilton method or as Vinton's method) is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems. It contrasts with variou ...

. Mauritania has a multi-party system with a dominant ruling party holding an absolute majority supported by several minor parties (with this bloc being referred to as the "presidential majority"). Mauritania has a high number of

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

, with a peak of 105 parties running in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

. Regional and local elections are also held every five years (usually at the same time as parliamentary elections) to elect Mauritania's

and local councils using a proportional

. The presidency of said councils is held by the leader of the largest list in the election.

Presidential elections

The president is elected by popular vote in a two-round system for a five-year term. The latest election was held on 22 June 2019, marking Mauritania's first peaceful transfer of power in the presidency.

Mohamed Ould Ghazouani Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani ( ar, محمد ولد الشيخ محمد أحمد ولد الغزواني; born 4 December 1956), also known as Ghazouani and Ould Ghazouani, is a Mauritanian politician and retired Mauritanian A ...

( UPR) won the election in the first round, securing 52% of votes. *

2019 Mauritanian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 22 June 2019, with a second round planned for 6 July if no candidate had received more than 50% of the vote. The result was a first round victory for Mohamed Ould Ghazouani who won with 52 percen ...

2014 Mauritanian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 21 June 2014, with a second round planned for 5 July if no candidate received more than 50% of the vote. The result was a first round victory for incumbent President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of t ...

2009 Mauritanian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 18 July 2009. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who led the 2008 coup d'état, won a narrow first-round majority in the election, according to official results. A second round, if necessary, would have be ...

* 2007 Mauritanian presidential election * 2003 Mauritanian presidential election *

1997 Mauritanian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Mauritania on 12 December 1997. Incumbent President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya won the election with 90% of the vote. Voter turnout was 75%. Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) ''Electi ...

* 1992 Mauritanian presidential election

Parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections are held to Mauritania's unicameral parliament, the

. The National Assembly is elected through a parallel voting system combining several national lists and an electoral district vote, with a

used for one-seat districts, a general ticket used for two-seat districts, with larger districts using the proportional

. * 2023 Mauritanian parliamentary election * 2018 Mauritanian parliamentary election *

2013 Mauritanian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania on 23 November. The opposition has vowed to boycott the election unless the president steps down beforehand. A total of 1,096 candidates have registered to compete for the leadership of 218 local co ...

2006 Mauritanian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania on 19 November, with a second round 3 December 2006. At least 28 political parties competed to comprise the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly; Islamist parties were banned, but many ...

* 2001 Mauritanian parliamentary election * 1996 Mauritanian parliamentary election *

1992 Mauritanian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania on 6 March 1992, with a second round on 13 March. They were the first National Assembly elections after the constitutional referendum the previous year that resulted in the reintroduction of multi- ...

Senate elections

Mauritania's

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

was bi-cameral between 1991 and 2017, with an indirectly-elected upper house (the Senate) being abolished after a 2017 constitutional reform approved through a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. The Senate's term lasted six years, with one-third of the Senators being renewed in indirect elections every two years. * 2009 Mauritanian Senate election *

2007 Mauritanian Senate election Indirect senatorial elections were held in Mauritania on 21 January 2007, with a second round on 4 February 2007.Regional councils were created in Mauritania to replace the Senate abolished in 2017. Regional elections are held every five years (usually at the same time as parliamentary elections) using a proportional

. The presidency of the regional councils is held by the leader of the largest list in the election. *

2023 Mauritanian regional elections Regional elections were held in Mauritania on 13 May 2023, alongside parliamentary and local elections. The elections were the first regional elections held after the first peaceful transition of power in the country as a result of the 2019 ...

2018 Mauritanian regional elections Regional elections were held in Mauritania on 1 and 15 September 2023, alongside parliamentary and local elections. They were the first elections to the newly created regional councils. Background Regional councils were created in Mauritani ...

Local elections

* 2023 Mauritanian local elections * 2018 Mauritanian local elections * 2013 Mauritanian local elections * 2006 Mauritanian local elections * 2001 Mauritanian local elections * 1996 Mauritanian local elections * 1991 Mauritanian local elections

Referendums

2017 Mauritanian constitutional referendum A two-part constitutional referendum was held in Mauritania on 5 August 2017, having initially been planned for 15 July.

2006 Mauritanian constitutional referendum A constitutional referendum was held in Mauritania on June 25, 2006 and approved by nearly 97% of voters. Following the August 2005 ousting of long-time president Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, the new transitional military regime called the ref ...

1991 Mauritanian constitutional referendum A constitutional referendum was held in Mauritania on 12 July 1991. The Constitution of Mauritania, new constitution would restore multi-party democracy for the first time since the 1960s, as well as creating a bicameralism, bicameral Mauritanian ...

Election organisation

All elections are prepared, organised and supervised by the

National Independent Election Commission The National Independent Election Commission ( ar, اللجنة الوطنية المستقلة للإنتخابات, french: Commission électorale nationale indépendante, CENI) is the election commission of Mauritania. It is responsible for pre ...

(CENI), which: * takes care of observing the principle of equal access for all competing candidates to the official organs of the written, audio and visual press, being allowed to direct any observation or recommendation to the competent authorities, * participates in the media sector to educate citizens about the voting process, * and takes the necessary measures to facilitate the tasks of the national observers and the invited international observers in consultation with the competent diplomatic departments of the State.

External links

Adam Carr's Election Archive
{{Mauritania-election-stub